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
There was little sign of chaos now, but Al-Rahy still seemed ill at ease.
—
Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Why is this beautiful woman so ill at ease on her way to church?
—Brigit Katz, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Jan. 2025
Husband and wife then head to the former’s book launch, where Lidia again feels ill at ease.
—Hazlitt, 19 Dec. 2024
Armand Arton, president of Arton Capital, a global citizenship financial advisory services firm, tells Fortune wealthy Americans are increasingly ill at ease in their home country and looking to acquire the safety net of a second (or third) passport.
—Byalicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ill at ease
Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Why is this beautiful woman so ill at ease on her way to church?
—Brigit Katz, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Jan. 2025
Husband and wife then head to the former’s book launch, where Lidia again feels ill at ease.
—Hazlitt, 19 Dec. 2024
Armand Arton, president of Arton Capital, a global citizenship financial advisory services firm, tells Fortune wealthy Americans are increasingly ill at ease in their home country and looking to acquire the safety net of a second (or third) passport.
—Byalicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ill at ease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill at ease
Adjective
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Many were worried about stripping precipitation out of a cloud and robbing people downstream of rain.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
17 Aug. 2025
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Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, however, didn’t necessarily appear worried when asked what joint practices taught him about his cornerbacks.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Umpires must already see pitches accurately, move well and handle upset managers and players.—
Becky Sullivan,
NPR,
13 Aug. 2025
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All three have gone after one another while 71-year-old conservative activist and talk show host Curtis Sliwa aims for a major upset for Republicans.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The vices of deficiency, such as being anxious, agitated, impatient, inattentive, and rash, are common everyday experiences.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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Orange County students are returning to class this month as districts navigate an anxious back-to-school season shaped by immigration raids over the summer and the possibility that attendance drops could cut into school funding.—
Hanna Kang,
Oc Register,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But as Trump appears to ignore court decisions and high-level administration officials are suggesting suspending the writ of habeas corpus, Bolick is nervous the United States is heading toward authoritarianism.—
Amanda Luberto,
AZCentral.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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Students, meanwhile, often get nervous about asking for clarification or diving deeper into a topic in front of their peers.—
Shelbie Witte,
The Conversation,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The musical originally toured the United States for six months in 1976, a legendarily troubled production, retooled constantly, that has long since entered stage lore.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
8 Aug. 2025
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Before, during and after Property tax values in 2025 were not based on either of the previous two troubled cycles, with the county assessor introducing a new formula based on 2022 values.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The United States and China have settled into a steady state of pragmatic, if uneasy, détente.—
Phil Mattingly,
CNN Money,
13 Aug. 2025
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Reading Zeller’s book, I was reminded that there is a kind of uneasy fellowship in this condition—a vast, involuntary community of people mapping out their lives between attacks, haunted by uncertainty but sustained in part by accounts like his.—
Jerome Groopman,
New Yorker,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ill at ease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill%20at%20ease. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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