malaise

noun

mal·​aise mə-ˈlāz How to pronounce malaise (audio)
ma-,
-ˈlez How to pronounce malaise (audio)
1
: an indefinite feeling of debility or lack of health often indicative of or accompanying the onset of an illness
An infected person will feel a general malaise.
2
: a vague sense of mental or moral ill-being
a malaise of cynicism and despairMalcolm Boyd

Did you know?

A recipe: combine a handful of the blahs, a pinch of the blues, and maybe a soupçon of ennui, season generously with “under the weather,” and voila, you’ve got yourself the stew of sinking sensations known as malaise. Malaise, whose Old French ancestor was formed from the combination of mal (“bad”) and aise (“comfort”), has been a part of English since the mid-18th century. It originally referred to a vague feeling of weakness or discomfort accompanying the onset of an illness—a meaning still in use today when a virus or other malady starts producing symptoms—but has since broadened to cover a general, ominous sense of mental or moral ill-being.

Examples of malaise in a Sentence

The symptoms include headache, malaise, and fatigue. An infected person will feel a general malaise. The country's current economic problems are symptoms of a deeper malaise.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Signs of public malaise with a relentlessly militarized society and with economic challenges do not mean that Russians are turning against Putin. Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 23 Jan. 2025 Its economy is already facing a deepening malaise, brought on by a property crisis, mounting government debt and weak consumer spending. David Pierson, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025 The darkly comedic series is about a love triangle among three adults experiencing middle-age malaise that leads to one of them ending up dead. Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2025 Only that genteel veneer soon gives way to a more scathing national x-ray, satirizing post-Brexit malaise alongside broader issues of immigration and national identity. Ben Croll, Variety, 30 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for malaise

Word History

Etymology

French malaise, from Old French, from mal- + aise comfort — more at ease

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of malaise was in 1768

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Cite this Entry

“Malaise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malaise. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

malaise

noun
mal·​aise mə-ˈlāz How to pronounce malaise (audio) ma- How to pronounce malaise (audio)
-ˈlez
: a hazy feeling of not being well

Medical Definition

malaise

noun
mal·​aise mə-ˈlāz How to pronounce malaise (audio) ma- How to pronounce malaise (audio)
-ˈlez
: an indefinite feeling of debility or lack of health often indicative of or accompanying the onset of an illness
fever, malaise, and other flu-like symptomsLarry Thompson

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