as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty
I'm usually ill at ease when addressing a large crowd of people
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ill at ease
In her mind, the community in her fictional story should be one of privilege, a circumstance in which Ruth, who grew up in a working-class Yiddish family, could initially feel ill at ease.
—
Esther Zuckerman, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
The young man may be introverted or otherwise socially ill at ease.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 29 May 2025
In addition to making people feel ill at ease and exacerbating respiratory illnesses, the wind, combined with dry conditions, has elevated the fire risk across Texas.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Mar. 2025
Kennedy gave a rather general and broad-based answer, and perhaps more problematically appeared ill at ease with the question.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill at ease
Esther Zuckerman, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
The young man may be introverted or otherwise socially ill at ease.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 29 May 2025
In addition to making people feel ill at ease and exacerbating respiratory illnesses, the wind, combined with dry conditions, has elevated the fire risk across Texas.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Mar. 2025
Kennedy gave a rather general and broad-based answer, and perhaps more problematically appeared ill at ease with the question.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ill at ease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill at ease
Adjective
-
Democrats are worried that our troops eat too well.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
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But, for now, some leaders remain worried about what happens next.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This small meal should be low in fiber and fat, as these can cause an upset stomach.—
Dr. Sarah Kinsella,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
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In his March Madness brackets, Obama has the Arizona Wildcats men defeating the Duke Blue Devils (who have already been upset) and UConn's women's team winning it all.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Although Amodei, who was leading the company’s safety team, had helped to pitch the deal to Bill Gates, many people on the team were anxious about it, fearing that Microsoft would insert provisions that overrode OpenAI’s ethical commitments.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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On the handful of occasions in each game between them when Jokic catches at the elbow and his teammates clear out, an anxious hush invariably falls over a buzzing arena.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Who isn’t nervous meeting the prospective in-laws for the first time?—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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Jason Bateman delivers the mundane analogy like a pro, blending sincerity and uncertainty inside his singular, nervous vocal rhythms.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
One of Altman’s batch mates in the first Y Combinator cohort was Aaron Swartz, a brilliant but troubled coder who died by suicide in 2013 and is now remembered in many tech circles as something of a sage.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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In March, the Dallas City Council did not make a final decision on what to do about the troubled City Hall building.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Many of these stemmed from the uneasy coexistence of political parties with religion – which was newly protected by the First Amendment – and with the Catholic Church in particular.—
Derek Arnold,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
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So the uneasy authorities decided that such impertinence must be silenced once and for all.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ill at ease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill%20at%20ease. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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