malaise

Meanings

1. 1noununcountablemedical

   A vague feeling of being unwell or uneasy without a clear cause.

   Grammar: Usually uncountable: a sense of malaise.

   Patterns

   • a feeling of malaise
   • a sense of malaise

   He felt a general malaise for days before the fever appeared.

   A strange malaise settled over her after the trip.

   Fatigue and malaise are common early signs of the illness.

2. 2nounsingularformalfigurative

   A troubled condition in a group or system that is hard to name or fix.

   Grammar: Often with a, and followed by in: a malaise in the economy.

   Patterns

   • a malaise in something
   • a malaise among people

   A deep malaise had spread through the company.

   Economists spoke of a malaise in the housing market.

   The malaise among voters worried the party.

Common combinations

general malaise

A general malaise kept him in bed.

economic malaise

The country was gripped by economic malaise.

sense of malaise

She had a sense of malaise she could not explain.

cultural malaise

The novel explores a cultural malaise.

shake off the malaise

He tried to shake off the malaise with a long walk.

Synonyms and how they differ

unease

Unease is mainly an emotional worry, while malaise can include physical tiredness.

lethargy

Lethargy is the physical or mental sluggishness itself, not the vague sense of being off.

disquiet

Disquiet suggests anxiety about something happening, and is more focused than malaise.

sickness

Sickness is a clear illness, whereas malaise is a vague discomfort.

Opposites

Word family

malaise noun

a vague unease

malady noun

a disease or disorder

malcontent noun

a person who is permanently dissatisfied

malign adjective

harmful or evil

Commonly confused: malaise or malice?

Practice

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