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
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
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
Kennedy gave a rather general and broad-based answer, and perhaps more problematically appeared ill at ease with the question.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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
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
Kennedy gave a rather general and broad-based answer, and perhaps more problematically appeared ill at ease with the question.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill at ease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill at ease
Adjective
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However, because the pool was shallow, Lisberg was less worried.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
25 May 2025
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While Herzig is hoping to win a million dollars, his guests are all worried about their own various fantasy teams, mostly competing for a few hundred bucks.—
David Hill,
Rolling Stone,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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When the Eaton and Palisades fires sparked in January — respectively the second- and third-most destructive in California history — familiarity, friend groups and routines were upset for Emory and many of her peers.—
Emma Bowman,
NPR,
2 June 2025
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Local fans were also upset at how ticketing was organised, with empty seats in temporary stands at their Montilivi ground for most games.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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In the novel’s historical re-creation, is there an anxious note to Americans now losing themselves in accommodation?—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
23 May 2025
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An inaccurate diagnosis might lead to unnecessary or risky treatment, and a false positive can cause stress by requiring additional tests and anxious waits for results.—
Max Votek,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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The price of gold tends to move when markets get nervous – and so does the gold.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
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That said, one moment in the final episode did make Brashear nervous.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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But behind the chants and cheering lies a troubled past.—
Tomás Hill López-Menchero,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
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Set on the fictional New England island of New Penzance in the 1960s, Sam (Jared Gilman), an emotionally disturbed orphan, and Suzy (Kara Hayward), a sophisticated, yet troubled girl in the vein of Margot Tenenbaum, long to grow up and get away from the chaos that surrounds them.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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In the wake of multiple plane crashes, and amid erratic federal policies and denials and detentions at border crossings, summer travel in the U.S. is in an uneasy state.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
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The opening moments cement its tonal dissonance as, with a twang of Daniel Kowalski’s spare, uneasy score, a brief prologue with fire, a flailing figure and mutterings about Satan snaps to a far more banal view of an empty street lined with dim, shuttered houses under a low, gray sky.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ill at ease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill%20at%20ease. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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