Ill at Ease

Meaning of Idiom ‘Ill at Ease’

To be ill at ease means to be uneasy, uncomfortable, feel nervous or awkward. ¹,²

Usage

“How are you feeling about the new promotion?” asked Betty. “I feel a bit ill at ease but I’m excited,” said Felicia.

“I always feel ill at ease in large groups of people.”

Origin

Used since around 1300 as the opposite of at ease (at one’s ease): comfortable, relaxed, not embarrassed or nervous, the word ill in “ill at ease” is used in its adverbial sense to mean poorly, badly, imperfectly, etc. ³

More Idioms Starting with I

• I Could Murder (A Food/Drink)
• It’s All Good
• In One’s Face
• Iron Out
• If I Had My Druthers

More At Idioms

• Jump At Something (chance, offer, opportunity)
• At the Drop of a Hat
• At Hand
• At Your Fingertips
• At Your Wit’s End

More Ease Idioms

More Ill Idioms

• Ill-gotten Gains

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References

1. Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008.
2. Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
3. Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.