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 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 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 See All Example Sentences for ill at ease

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill at ease

Adjective

The 18-year-old was sent to Adelanto ICE Detention Center in handcuffs, nearly a hundred miles away from his worried family members.

— Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Holmes is worried about old shingles and tiles in construction material that could have asbestos leaking into the water supply.

— Mary Ella Hastings July 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 July 2026

Definition of worried

Adjective

Black children experience higher rates of lactose intolerance, which meant many of my kids went the entire school day without clean, safe drinking water and instead milk that gave them an upset stomach.

— Joe Holberg, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
Many party insiders thought Larson would cruise to victory at the party’s nominating convention, but Bronin pulled a stunning upset that sent shock waves through the Connecticut political establishment.

— Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026

Definition of upset

Adjective

Max is accompanied on his adventures by anxious robot C-3PO AB Sitter, and FX, a magical alien masquerading as a toy who can turn the kid's implausibly impressive sand sculptures into fully functioning robots.

— Richard Edwards, Space.com, 5 July 2026
America’s centennial in 1876 was celebrated with a grand exhibition that projected an image of national unity and inventiveness in the anxious aftermath of civil war and recession.

— The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026

Definition of anxious

Adjective

The looming project was why Purohit was nervous to move her mother into Silverado last winter.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
For most of the last decade the threat argument was a transatlantic one, with a nervous eastern flank pulling against a distracted west.

— Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of nervous

Adjective

But the real anger belongs to the narrator herself, who berates herself for bringing a succession of troubled men into her son’s life.

— The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 9 July 2026
There’s also room to more deeply explore Queen Gertrude (Jodi Gage)’s role in the palace intrigue and her troubled relationship with her son.

— Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026

Definition of troubled

Adjective

Now Gauff and her next opponent, Karolina Muchova, face off Thursday for a chance to transform their mutually uneasy relationships with the green blades beneath their feet into the biggest grass-court breakthrough of their careers.

— Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
The result is a tension stretched nearly to the snapping point, then resolved in an uneasy detente.

— Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 6 July 2026

Definition of uneasy

Browse Nearby Words

ill-advised

ill at ease

illaudable

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Style

“Ill at ease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill%20at%20ease. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of ill at ease

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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