as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty
I'm usually ill at ease when addressing a large crowd of people
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ill at ease
In her mind, the community in her fictional story should be one of privilege, a circumstance in which Ruth, who grew up in a working-class Yiddish family, could initially feel ill at ease.
—
Esther Zuckerman, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
The young man may be introverted or otherwise socially ill at ease.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 29 May 2025
In addition to making people feel ill at ease and exacerbating respiratory illnesses, the wind, combined with dry conditions, has elevated the fire risk across Texas.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Mar. 2025
Kennedy gave a rather general and broad-based answer, and perhaps more problematically appeared ill at ease with the question.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill at ease
Esther Zuckerman, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
The young man may be introverted or otherwise socially ill at ease.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 29 May 2025
In addition to making people feel ill at ease and exacerbating respiratory illnesses, the wind, combined with dry conditions, has elevated the fire risk across Texas.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Mar. 2025
Kennedy gave a rather general and broad-based answer, and perhaps more problematically appeared ill at ease with the question.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill at ease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill at ease
Adjective
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Kyoto, Japan — Nancy Higginbotham wasn’t worried when her 20-year-old son got on a train by himself during their family vacation in Japan.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
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Farmers are now worried the beef industry could be on the fritz for a while.—
Justin Klawans,
TheWeek,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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Texas State’s Chase Mora greeted USC closer Adam Troy with a monstrous two-run home run to left field in the top of ninth, propelling the Bobcats to 5-4 upset before a crowd of 6,956.—
Jose de Jesus Ortiz,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
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Rhodes had plenty to be upset about.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
Adjective
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Unlike the coolly impassive Pop artists, the Who weren’t afraid to get personal, or to let their art echo the anxious, kinky, maladjusted yammering in their own heads.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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In Rio, the runner was an anxious up-and-comer, the youngest American track-and-field Olympian since 1972.—
Katie Abel,
Footwear News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Spinella shucks off sentimentality, always showing us Con’s offhand humor and sometimes nervous, defensive rambling.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
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Companies start to get nervous when the percentage of shareholders blessing their pay plans dips well below the average, which is slightly above 90%, said Elizabeth Bieber, partner at the law firm Freshfields who leads shareholder engagement.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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Emmanuel co-stars as Detective Doran, an officer assigned to shadow Grimes, with Greenwood playing Henry Monroe, the therapist Grimes is mandated to see, whose sessions begin to reveal the detective’s troubled past.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
1 June 2026
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The discoveries, announced Sunday, are part of the Egyptian government’s efforts to boost the country’s tourism industry and bring cash to the troubled economy.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Until these vexing unknowns are figured out, AI for mental health will be in an uneasy position and subject to strident criticisms and concerns.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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Other Western media outlets, meanwhile, are growing more uneasy about what possible interviews with Lai could mean for their presence in China, The Associated Press reported.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ill at ease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill%20at%20ease. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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