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.
No one offered a clear vision of how they would pull Californians out of a spiritual malaise that has so many of us leaving the state, or thinking about leaving.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
That’s had big implications for global crude prices, which have risen some 17% over the past month—pushing Treasury bond yields higher and stoking renewed concerns about inflation and general malaise in the world’s biggest economy.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
Tryl says it's part of a "wider malaise" that may seem minor or cosmetic, but "chips away" at Britons' perceptions of their local area, making them feel their communities are "neglected or forgotten".
From BBC • May 2, 2026
But there is no doubting the cultural and political malaise.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
Just one shrill blow and you will see your animal shudder with malaise and repair at top speed to the safest, furthest part of its territory.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
