uneasy

Uneasy is an adjective describing a lack of ease or comfort, affecting either a physical situation or a mental state. It can refer to something that is troubling or uncomfortable, as well as to a person’s emotional disposition, such as feeling wary or unsettled. Common senses include describing something not physically steady or safe (an uneasy chair) and describing worry or doubt about a future event (I am uneasy about the verdict). The adverb form is uneasily, and the related noun is uneasiness.

Etymology and development: the word is built from the prefix un- attached to easy. Easy originates in Old French aisier (to ease), with the sense contributing to the English form by the Middle English period. The combined term has long carried both the sense of lack of ease in a situation and of personal discomfort or anxiety.

Usage and nuance: uneasy frequently precedes about or with to indicate apprehension about a matter or a state of tension within a situation. It can modify nouns in phrases such as an uneasy alliance or an uneasy calm. In nuance, uneasy is milder than anxious or terrified, yet stronger than simply hesitant; it often implies pragmatic concern as opposed to outright fear.

See also and cultural note: the phrase “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown” (Shakespeare) exemplifies the literary weight of the term in describing the burdens of responsibility. In modern usage, uneasy appears in journalism, fiction, and everyday speech to convey tentative or uncomfortable states without full-blown alarm.