ill at ease

adjective

: not feeling easy : uncomfortable

Synonyms

• aflutter
• antsy
• anxious
• atwitter
• dithery
• edgy
• goosey
• het up
• hinky [slang]
• hung up
• insecure
• jittery
• jumpy
• nervous
• nervy
• perturbed
• queasy
• queazy
• tense
• troubled
• uneasy
• unquiet
• upset
• uptight
• worried

Examples of ill at ease in a Sentence

He seemed ill at ease when we spoke with him.

I'm usually ill at ease when addressing a large crowd of people.

Recent Examples on the Web

Unfortunately, Brodie — this complex yet emotionally undercooked fellow, so good at his work and so ill at ease in his personal life — loses his way in DEATH AT THE SIGN OF THE ROOK (Doubleday, 306 pp., $30). —Sarah Weinman, New York Times, 4 Oct. 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

Only their oldest daughter, 13-year-old Isabella, seemed ill at ease with all the protestors and visitors, like me, who showed up in their wake. —Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2024

Deep fault lines emerged in a society ill at ease with itself and aggrieved with the West. —Laura Secor, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2013

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ill at ease

adjective

: feeling uncomfortable