Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Lacking a sense of security; anxious or apprehensive.
  • adjective Affording no ease or reassurance.
  • adjective Awkward or unsure in manner; constrained.
  • adjective Causing constraint or awkwardness.
  • adjective Not conducive to rest.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Not easy either in body or in mind; feeling some lack of ease, either mental or physical; disturbed; unquiet.
  • Not easy or elegant in manner or style; not graceful; constrained; stiff; awkward.
  • Causing pain, trouble, constraint, discomfort, or want of ease; cramping; constraining; irksome; disagreeable.
  • Not easy to be done or accomplished; difficult.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective rare Not easy; difficult.
  • adjective Restless; disturbed by pain, anxiety, or the like; disquieted; perturbed.
  • adjective Not easy in manner; constrained; stiff; awkward; not graceful.
  • adjective Occasioning want of ease; constraining; cramping; disagreeable; unpleasing.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Restless; disturbed by pain, anxiety, or the like; disquieted; perturbed.
  • adjective Not easy in manner; constrained; stiff; awkward; not graceful; as, an uneasy deportment.
  • adjective Occasioning want of ease; constraining; cramping; disagreeable; unpleasing.
  • adjective rare Not easy; difficult.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective socially uncomfortable; unsure and constrained in manner
  • adjective causing or fraught with or showing anxiety
  • adjective lacking or not affording physical or mental rest
  • adjective relating to bodily unease that causes discomfort
  • adjective lacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English unesy, unaisie ("not comforting"), from un- + esy ("comfortable, at ease"). More at easy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English unesy, equivalent to un- +‎ easy. Merged with Middle English unethe, uneathe ("difficult, not easy"); see uneath.

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Examples

  • They trudged on in uneasy silence till surprised by an open door.

    Too Much Gold 2010

  • They trudged on in uneasy silence till surprised by an open door.

    TOO MUCH GOLD 2010

  • Slightly more uneasy is Carole Gray as Cliff's romantic interest, partly because Cliff himself doesn't exude sufficient lust to match her.

    Gibbon Chapter XX nwhyte 2010

  • The real reason why sexuality in the churches makes so many people uneasy is because it forces the churches to move into areas where traditional formulas and distinctions don't make things any clearer.

    A Flock Divided 2009

  • The real reason why sexuality in the churches makes so many people uneasy is because it forces the churches to move into areas where traditional formulas and distinctions don't make things any clearer.

    A Flock Divided 2009

  • The real reason why sexuality in the churches makes so many people uneasy is because it forces the churches to move into areas where traditional formulas and distinctions don't make things any clearer.

    A Flock Divided 2009

  • The real reason why sexuality in the churches makes so many people uneasy is because it forces the churches to move into areas where traditional formulas and distinctions don't make things any clearer.

    A Flock Divided 2009

  • Lily watched her sister go in uneasy silence, the pruning shears still dangling from her hand.

    The Sisters and the Seeds « A Fly in Amber 2008

  • The other aspect of this that makes me feel a bit uneasy is the tendency for certain bestselling authors (living or dead) to have other people write their books and have them published under their own name.

    Writers & Respect: Where do we stand now? What of our future? 2007

  • They crossed the foyer and entered the chapel, walking past row after row of dark wooden pew, their surfaces polished by decades of pious asses squirming in uneasy silence.

    stonetable.org » NaNoWriMo: Day 4 2007

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