as in sick
temporarily suffering from a disorder of the body
she missed work because she was unwell
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unwell
The following year, Storms again called Barash while apparently unwell.
—
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
An unwell postal worker picked off lover’s-lane couples with a revolver.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
If they are deemed mentally unwell, the court will assign the least restrictive setting for treatment, per Nebraska law.
—Selina Guevara, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026
Prominent conservative pundits − from former Fox News hosts Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and podcaster Candace Owens − are suggesting the president is unwell.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unwell
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
An unwell postal worker picked off lover’s-lane couples with a revolver.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
If they are deemed mentally unwell, the court will assign the least restrictive setting for treatment, per Nebraska law.
—Selina Guevara, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026
Prominent conservative pundits − from former Fox News hosts Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and podcaster Candace Owens − are suggesting the president is unwell.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unwell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unwell
Adjective
-
That night, both the President and his wife periodically fled upstairs to check on their most beloved son, the eleven-year-old Willie, sick with a fever that would kill him two weeks later.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
What this narrative neglects are all the ways treatment might cause terrible side effects, or the long period one spends being sick, and how one’s identity may have changed in the interim.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
This fragmented model creates friction and quietly drains profitability through unbilled hours, margin erosion from poorly staffed projects and elevated turnover when top talent hits operational roadblocks.—
DJ Paoni,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
For however poorly things are going — and the bad tone set by the starters has leaked into some defensive lapses and some pressing at the plate — the Padres got themselves into a really favorable position before this.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Officials have said the test taken aboard the ship was likely a false positive, and that the physician does not have antibodies to hantavirus, indicating he was never exposed to or ill with it.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
-
After arriving back home, the visitor also became ill after getting a scratch.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
West Ham showed themselves to be a bad team, less than the sum of their parts and wholly ill-equipped for the challenge in front of them.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Each reiteration and exaggeration of Mary’s bad behavior is another civic stroke of the chisel that perfects the monumental Lincoln in our collective imagination.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unwell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unwell. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
