ill at ease

adjective

: not feeling easy : uncomfortable

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 See all Example Sentences for ill at ease 

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ill at ease was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ill at ease

Cite this Entry

“Ill at ease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ill%20at%20ease. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

ill at ease

adjective
: feeling uncomfortable
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!