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Synonyms

unease

American  
[uhn-eez] / ʌnˈiz /

noun

  1. a state of discomfort or restlessness in the body or mind.

    Anxiety may break through and make itself felt in physical symptoms, such as jitters or unease.

    These initiatives seem to have emerged from the growing unease at the uneven pattern of economic recovery.

Etymology

Origin of unease

First recorded in 1300–50; un- 1 ( def. ) + ease ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Peet connected to the unease of not knowing how to recognize when one has become a has-been and staying open to whatever life still has to offer.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

As unease about AI replacement crushed the stocks of public software companies in recent months, some fund managers played down their concentration in the industry or turned the spotlight on competitors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

But they are signaling increasing unease about the inflationary implications of the conflict.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, host Mika Brzezinski put her head in her hands on air, a moment that quickly spread online and captured a broader sense of unease.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

I could hear the unease in his voice.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.