Malcolm 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
Simon Hughes, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025
The trouble is, anyone looking to find quick solutions to the industry’s long-term malaise will be disappointed.
—Neil Winton, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
But there’s also a much deeper malaise at work, like something out of an Antonioni movie.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 Feb. 2025
Listen to this article The Chicago Bears offseason has begun, the Bulls and Blackhawks are in a midseason malaise and the Cubs and White Sox seasons are just around the corner.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malaise
Articles Related to malaise
Cite this Entry
“Malaise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malaise. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share