Synonyms of ill at ease

ill at ease

adjective

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

• worried
• upset
• anxious
• nervous
• troubled
• uneasy
• on edge
• apprehensive
• on tenterhooks
• on pins and needles
• concerned
• het up
• perturbed
• bothered
• uptight
• hesitant
• insecure
• disturbed
• tense
• flustered
• jumpy
• jittery
• queasy
• goosey
• hung up
• edgy
• keyed up
• dithery
• obsessed
• unquiet
• freaked
• antsy
• distraught
• preoccupied
• nervy
• restless
• aggrieved
• distressed
• hinky
• shook-up
• aflutter
• disquieted
• atwitter
• vexed
• foreboding
• fretful
• qualmish
• fretting
• freaked-out
• hypertense
• misgiving
• qualmy
• unstrung
• undone
• unnerved
• fidgety
• stewing
• spooky
• fluttery
• high-strung
• flighty
• skittish
• twittered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• collected
• cool
• calm
• relaxed
• sure
• nerveless
• confident
• controlled
• happy-go-lucky
• self-assured
• self-confident
• self-controlled

Example Sentences

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