malaise

American  

[ma-leyz, -muh-, ma-lez] / mæˈleɪz, -mə-, maˈlɛz /

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.

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malaise British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of malaise

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

Example Sentences

This Celtic malaise is not just about the manager, though.

From BBC

Low-cost housing can signal economic malaise and a declining population, but that’s not true in this corner of Wisconsin.

From The Wall Street Journal

I was moved that the replies weren’t just from those commiserating, but rather, people offering helpful solutions to this cyclical malaise.

From Salon

"The general malaise and low real incomes will have mobilised the dissenters," they said.

From BBC

The sources of our malaise are deeper than the shallow eddies of fashion and entertainment in “Blank Space.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• angst
• anxiety
• despair
• discomfort
• disquiet
• doldrums
• illness
• pain
• unease
• uneasiness
• weakness