malestar

Malestar is a noun in Spanish that denotes a feeling of discomfort or unease, which can be physical or emotional. It covers sensations from mild discomfort to a general sense of illness and is common in everyday language as well as in medical contexts. Expressions such as malestar general, malestar estomacal, or malestar muscular are routinely used to describe non-specific symptoms.

Etymology and usage: The word derives from mal- (bad) and estar (to be). It is usually written as a single word, although older texts sometimes show "mal-estar." It stands opposite bienestar, meaning well-being.

Medical usage: In clinical language, malestar general refers to a non-specific malaise that accompanies many conditions. The term helps describe a feeling of being unwell without specifying a diagnosis. Persistent or worsening malestar, especially with other signs, warrants medical evaluation.

Emotional and social dimension: Malestar also conveys psychological or social unease, such as distress or dissatisfaction with a situation, though in everyday speech it is often equated with discomfort or unease more generally.

Synonyms and related terms include desazón, indisposición, and incomodidad; bienestar is the opposite. In health records and surveys, malestar is a generic descriptor used to capture subjective experience when precise symptoms are not yet identified.