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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.

See Examples For:

Some commuters and bystanders documented encountering the group on public transit and in busy pedestrian areas, with social media posts describing confusion and unease during what was otherwise a heavily trafficked holiday weekend.

From Salon Jul. 5, 2026

Americans celebrated 250 years of independence Saturday with conflicting emotions as pride, hope and patriotism battled with uncertainty and unease over the country's direction.

From Barron's Jul. 4, 2026

During oral arguments in the Cook case, however, justices expressed unease about allowing Trump to fire a member of the Fed.

From MarketWatch Jun. 29, 2026

But there’s a growing unease with companies sticking generative-AI features into any and all products, and having a little AI djinn always whispering in our ear seems like a cautionary tale—or a “Twilight Zone” episode.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 26, 2026

The unease was not confined to the hospital.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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