ill at ease

Meaning

To be 'ill at ease' means to feel uncomfortable, embarrassed, anxious, or awkward. It is a slightly more formal or literary way to describe social discomfort or general unease in a particular environment or company.

Examples

• He felt ill at ease standing in a room full of strangers at the networking event.

  He felt ill at ease standing in a room full of strangers at the networking event.

• Her sudden silence made everyone at the dinner table feel slightly ill at ease.

  Her sudden silence made everyone at the dinner table feel slightly ill at ease.

• The witness seemed ill at ease under the intense questioning of the lawyer.

  The witness seemed ill at ease under the intense questioning of the lawyer.

• I always feel ill at ease when I have to speak in public.

  I always feel ill at ease when I have to speak in public.

• There was an ill-at-ease atmosphere in the office after the sudden layoffs were announced.

  There was an ill-at-ease atmosphere in the office after the sudden layoffs were announced.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I felt sick at ease during the interview.

  ✓ I felt ill at ease during the interview.

  Even though 'ill' and 'sick' can be synonyms, 'ill at ease' is a fixed idiomatic phrase and cannot be altered.

• ✗ She was ill at her ease with the new neighbors.

  ✓ She was ill at ease with the new neighbors.

  Do not insert possessive pronouns like 'her', 'his', or 'my' before 'ease'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The new employee looked ___ during his first big corporate meeting.

  💡 anxious and uncomfortable

  Show answer

  ill at ease

• Please make yourself comfortable; I don't want you to feel ___ in my home.

  💡 awkward or tense

  Show answer

  ill at ease