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.

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Etymology

Origin of unease

First recorded in 1300–50; un- ¹ ( def. ) + ease ( def. )

Example Sentences

When Kafka died of tuberculosis in 1924 at age 40, he was virtually unknown; by the late 1930s he was an international phenomenon, his surname a signifier of bureaucratic inhumanity and modern unease.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

The attacks have created unease in Russia ahead of the parade, normally a grand show of force displaying tanks and missiles, which marks the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

I think we were, as writers and directors, tapping into an unease and a malaise that’s just out there.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

There’s no depiction of someone’s initial surprise or unease — at least more than a raised eyebrow — that gives way to understanding with a bit more time or knowledge.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026

There was perhaps some discontent or unease also in Ogion's mind, for he had spent all summer and autumn alone up on the mountain, and only now near Sunreturn was come back to his hearthside.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Related Words

• angst
• apprehension
• disquiet
• doubt
• dread
• foreboding
• jitters
• misgiving
• mistrust
• nervousness
• panic
• restlessness
• uncertainty
• uneasiness
• worry