English Reference
Adjective

unwell

adj.
A2 Elementary US /ənˈwɛɫ/ UK /ʌnwˈɛl/ un·well

adj.feeling sick or not healthy. You use this word to describe someone who is ill, but it often sounds a bit more polite or formal than saying 'sick'.

adj.suffering from illness or poor health. Often used predicatively following linking verbs such as 'feel', 'look', or 'seem'.


SIMPLE

He stayed home today because he felt unwell.

CONTEXTUAL

The teacher noticed that Sarah looked quite unwell and suggested she visit the school nurse.

COMPLEX

Although she appeared physically recovered, she continued to feel generally unwell for several weeks following the initial infection.

Usage

Typically used predicatively (after the verb) rather than attributively (before the noun).

Pitfall
an unwell mana sick man

In modern English, 'unwell' is almost always used after a verb like 'is' or 'feels' rather than directly before a noun.


From un- + well.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Occasional
Updated