malaise
Definitions
A vague feeling of physical discomfort or illness
（身体）不适感，隐隐难受
A general sense of unease or dissatisfaction in a group or society
（群体/社会的）萎靡，不安，颓势
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedmal- (bad) + Old French aise (ease, comfort) = 'bad ease' — the opposite of being at ease. It names that hard-to-pin-down state of feeling slightly unwell or uneasy, with no single symptom you can point to.
Why It Means This
Malaise is built on the same aise as 'ease' and 'easy.' Its power is its vagueness: in medicine it's the first whisper of illness ('a general malaise'), and figuratively it describes a mood that settles over a whole society — 'economic malaise,' a low, undefined funk no policy quite fixes.
Common Collocations
- 1.sense of malaise不安感
- 2.general malaise周身不适
- 3.economic malaise经济颓势
- 4.social malaise社会萎靡
Example Sentences
- 1.
She felt a vague malaise she couldn't quite explain.
- 2.
Fever and malaise are common early symptoms of the flu.
- 3.
The country sank into economic malaise after the crash.