unease.

A low, unsettled sense that something may be wrong or unsafe.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• growing unease
• a sense of unease
• unease about the plan

On the page

A sense of unease followed her into the otherwise cheerful kitchen.

Nobody objected, but their unease showed in the questions they avoided.

His unease about the bridge grew when the engineer stopped smiling.

Usage notes

Primary category: fear. Usually diffuse and mild to moderate; unlike fright, it need not have an identifiable trigger. Usually uncountable in this sense. Derived family (not additional inflections or records): uneasy.