1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

ill at ease

adjective

Definition of ill at easenext
as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty I'm usually ill at ease when addressing a large crowd of people

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 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
  1. worried
  2. upset
  3. anxious
  4. nervous
  5. troubled
  6. uneasy
Adjective
  • Millions of amateur athletes play tackle football each year, and as evidence mounts at the professional level of the dangers of CTE, parents are increasingly worried about their children going into the sport.
    — Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026
  • At the start of the novel, when the Koh children, Bo, DH, and Mido, are struggling in Korean schools after years of living abroad, their mother, Helen, gets worried.
    — Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of worried
Adjective
  • The council couldn’t ignore it because so many people were upset.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Sep. 2026
  • According to RadarOnline, some are upset that Spencer is looking to reopen old wounds at such a complicated time for Charles.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of upset
Adjective
  • Many of Martin’s clients come in feeling anxious about making the leap, unsure whether the look will suit them.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Forrest says he was pushed into thinking about climate change in the 2010s by his daughter Sophia, who was anxious about the planet’s future.
    — Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of anxious
Adjective
  • Gael is herself a little nervous, not only about the tension but about leaving Kayden.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Just after the sun melted into the sea a deer trotted by, followed by its more nervous baby.
    — David G. Allan, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of nervous
Adjective
  • Still, Lyon was barely troubled cruising to victory after an eighth-minute own goal by Laia Ballesté, under pressure from Dumornay, to turn a cross by Salma Paralluelo into her own net.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Set in Palm Springs, California, and seen on Broadway in 2011, the play probes a rich, powerful, troubled and Reagan-esque West Coast political family and makes much of the metaphor of the arid, infertile desert.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of troubled
Adjective
  • Upheavals so profound are not accomplished without loosing uneasy spirits that will haunt us for many days.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Silicon sampling troubles some polling traditionalists who are uneasy about ethical and other implications of simulating human responses.
    — W. Joseph Campbell, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of uneasy

Browse Nearby Words

ill-advised
ill at ease
illaudable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ill at ease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill%20at%20ease. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of argot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All