disquiet
dis-KWAI-ut
/dɪsˈkwaɪ.ət/
A feeling of mild or persistent anxiety, uneasiness, or mental turbulence.
Refers to a nagging loss of inner peace—a subtle, quietly churning disquietude that disrupts calm.
The story behind the word. Formed in Middle English by prefixing the Latinate 'dis-' onto 'quiet'. It literally means 'the destruction or removal of rest'. It captured the precise sensation of having your peaceful calm shattered by lingering suspicion.
Word relationships
- uneasiness: Uneasiness is a general word, whereas disquiet sounds more formal and emphasizes broken tranquility.
- unrest: Unrest usually refers to public, political agitation, while disquiet can be deeply personal and internal.
- tranquility: Deep, unbroken peace of mind.
- serenity: Untroubled, calm state of spirit.
Commonly confused with
- quietus: Quietus means a final discharge, death, or clearing of debt.
Word family
- disquieting (adjective): Causing feelings of anxiety or worry.
- disquietude (noun): A formal state of uneasiness or anxiety.
Collocations
- growing disquiet
- disquieting news
- sense of disquiet
Idioms & expressions
- uneasy lies the head
- an unsettling feeling
Example sentences
- "A lingering disquiet disturbed his thoughts as he read through the strange, unsigned letter." Literature / Essay
- "There is growing public disquiet over the government's handling of the economic crisis." Political Analysis
Memory hook
DIS-QUIET is simply the DISruption of QUIET in your mind. The quiet inside your head is broken.
When not to use
Do not use for sudden screaming horror or loud chaos; disquiet operates quietly under the surface.
Fun facts
- Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa wrote 'The Book of Disquiet', one of modern literature's greatest masterpieces on internal anxiety!
Related words
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