uneasy

1 of 2

adjective

un·​easy ˌən-ˈē-zē How to pronounce uneasy (audio)
1
: causing physical or mental discomfort
uneasy news of captures and killingsMarjory S. Douglas
2
: not easy : difficult
3
: marked by lack of ease : awkward, embarrassed
gave an uneasy laugh
4
: apprehensive, worried
uneasy about the weather
5
: restless, unquiet
an uneasy night
6
: precarious, unstable
an uneasy truce
uneasiness noun

uneasy

2 of 2

adverb

Examples of uneasy in a Sentence

Adjective Rain made the crew uneasy. He has an uneasy relationship with his father. We spent an uneasy night waiting for news.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Olga's uneasy feeling returned when Viktoria showed up at her door with three small slices of cheesecake. Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2024 Meta and Apple have long had an uneasy corporate relationship. Mike Isaac, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024 The uneasy feelings about the economy have weighed down President Joe Biden's approval ratings on his leadership on the issue. Max Zahn, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024 As when actors in their twenties play adolescents and tweens play children, this adds an uneasy bloat to reality. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024 Leverkusen also occupies a somewhat uneasy position within German soccer’s firmament. Christopher F. Schuetze, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024 Even with immunity, Michelle felt uneasy right away. Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024 Nguyen says that in early meetings, producers were uneasy about his insistence that the show center Vietnamese people speaking Vietnamese. Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024 The city’s former mayor, Takashi Hiraoka, also felt uneasy about the film’s narrative focus. Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Adverb
Master has a stew of storylines that don’t always perfectly blend together, but I was impressed by how effective and uneasy-making its mood remained all the way to the end. Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2022 As prosecutors moved to drop charges against Mr. Watts, the man who had made Ms. Francisco uneasy returned to her shop on Jan. 4. New York Times, 4 Feb. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'uneasy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1596, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of uneasy was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near uneasy

Cite this Entry

“Uneasy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uneasy. Accessed 1 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

uneasy

adjective
un·​easy
ˌən-ˈē-zē
1
: not easy in manner : awkward
uneasy among strangers
2
: disturbed by pain or worry : restless
rain made the crew uneasy
uneasily
-ˈēz-ə-lē
adverb
uneasiness
-ˈē-zē-nəs
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on uneasy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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