ILL AT EASE Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

ill at ease

adjective

Definition of ill at ease

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

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 ill at ease Both were a byword, too, for male beauty, fully alive to the almost laughable impact of their handsomeness, yet ill at ease, now and then, with their perches on the pedestal. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025 Maurice, who had a troubled childhood marked by illness and emotional neglect, was negative and socially ill at ease. — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for ill at ease

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill at ease

Adjective

Franceschini was worried while the couple browsed the shops around the village before taking a casual walk onto the renowned wooden bridge.

— Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
The security founders were worried about regulatory and compliance risk.

— Hammed Afenifere, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of worried

Adjective

Legend has it Michael Jackson asked his security to keep fans away from him at a local dive bar, only to become upset when the locals were all too good at treating him like a normal person.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Ultimately, after he was found out to be a con artist, according to his critics, Minnesota media appears to be more so upset that Jamal was not acting in the Somali community’s best interests.

— Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of upset

Adjective

As in the thriller, anxious local leaders debated whether publicizing the peril would scare off tourists.

— Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Because of these risks, many conservation groups and lawmakers are anxious to see permanent protections.

— Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of anxious

Adjective

But Democrats are arguing that Trump is going to red states like Alabama because Republicans are nervous.

— Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
The admittedly nervous executive started Monday’s news conferences by apologizing to the Clippers’ faithful for the aftermath of the Leonard situation.

— Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of nervous

Adjective

This project, classical in form, presents a sweeping vision of how the past has led to the present, an epic for this troubled age, a dispatch from a roiling Europe that nonetheless reflects back the difficult beauty of human existence.

— Craig Morgan Teicher, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Which is what troubled regulators even more about this particular outbreak.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of troubled

Adjective

An uneasy calm prevailed along the border Friday, with no new fighting reported.

— MUNIR AHMED, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
Their battles for influence, image and desire, in a Spain on the brink of collapse, are observed and narrated with fierce irony by Francisco de Goya, an uneasy witness who turns palace intrigue into a surprisingly contemporary mirror.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of uneasy

Browse Nearby Words

ill-advised

ill at ease

illaudable

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ill at ease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill%20at%20ease. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ill at ease

adjective

Example Sentences

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