malaise
Americannoun
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a condition of general bodily weakness or discomfort, often marking the onset of a disease.
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a vague or unfocused feeling of mental uneasiness, lethargy, or discomfort.
noun
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a feeling of unease or depression
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a mild sickness, not symptomatic of any disease or ailment
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a complex of problems affecting a country, economy, etc
Bulgaria's economic malaise
Etymology
Origin of malaise
First recorded in 1760–70; from French, Old French, equivalent to mal- + ease
Explanation
If you are experiencing malaise, chances are you are feeling blue or looking green. Malaise is a slump; you're not feeling your best — either mentally or physically. Mal is French for "bad," and aise means "ease." When experiencing malaise, ease yourself down on the couch to recover. Malaise is frequently used figuratively to describe slumps that other things go through as well. The 20-year economic malaise in Japan is one example, but you'll also hear of educational malaise, political malaise, and even "a general malaise." Wherever you turn, there's malaise.
Vocabulary lists containing malaise
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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.
Blown out, extravagant, dripping with ferocious malaise and desperation, but precisely arranged for the maximum possible emotional effect.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
Industrial stocks’ External link rising star has faltered, thanks to soaring oil prices, inflation fears, and a general malaise settling over the markets amid war in the Middle East.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
She tries to control her symptoms by using pacing techniques - a strategy that balances rest and exertion to minimise post-exertional malaise.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
Can Europe seize the moment and actually get a grip with some of the deep-seated problems that are behind the economic malaise?
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026
Poor Whitcomb, sighed the chaplain, and blamed himself for his assistant’s malaise.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
