malaise

[ma-leyz, -muh-, ma-lez]

noun

1. a condition of general bodily weakness or discomfort, often marking the onset of a disease.

2. a vague or unfocused feeling of mental uneasiness, lethargy, or discomfort.

malaise

/ mæˈleɪz /

noun

1. a feeling of unease or depression

2. a mild sickness, not symptomatic of any disease or ailment

3. a complex of problems affecting a country, economy, etc

   Bulgaria's economic malaise

Word History and Origins

Origin of malaise¹

First recorded in 1760–70; from French, Old French, equivalent to mal- + ease

Word History and Origins

Origin of malaise¹

C18: from Old French, from mal bad + aise _ease

Example Sentences

They eventually reopened, but a broad sense of malaise — economic, political and disaster-driven — has contributed to dozens of bars, clubs and restaurants closing across the city.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The lyrics in the teaser center around Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and general American malaise, noting that nothing’s getting built in a country where people are too afraid to go outside.

Read more on Salon

She believes it is part of a reaction to a general sense of malaise - "everybody's so upset with the way the country's being run, the way we're being treated".

Read more on BBC

"So what's lost can potentially be regained. But because of the extent of the current malaise, it could take a long time."

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But, as big moves so often do, the journey dredges up long-buried feelings of discontent and malaise between the couple.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• angst 
• anxiety 
• despair 
• discomfort 
• disquiet 
• doldrums 
• illness 
• pain 
• unease 
• uneasiness www.thesaurus.com
• weakness