disquietude

American  

[dis-kwahy-i-tood, -tyood] / dɪsˈkwaɪ ɪˌtud, -ˌtyud /

noun

1. the state of disquiet; uneasiness.

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disquietude British  

/ dɪsˈkwaɪɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. a feeling or state of anxiety or uneasiness

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Etymology

Origin of disquietude

First recorded in 1700–10; dis- ¹ + quietude

Explanation

Sometimes, maybe for no reason at all, you might become agitated with a feeling of restless agitation. This feeling is a sense of disquietude, an edgy feeling that something in your universe is out of order. If you break down the word disquietude you come to its root word, quiet, which means still or noiseless. The dis- prefix means "not," giving it the opposite meaning, and the ending -tude makes it a state of being. So the word literally means "state of being unquiet." For example, it was said in the Washington Post that the 19th-20th-century artist Edward Hopper's paintings present a picture of the disquietude, or uneasiness, of American life.

Example Sentences

“Murderbot,” on the other hand, earns that superlative by tickling us with the thought that while our disquietude about AI’s takeover is legitimate, machines are in no way prepared for every aspect of it.

From Salon • Jul. 7, 2025

The group’s songs, all dance grooves, pulsing bass lines and ’80s-tinged synths, have typically reeked of disquietude and served as a maze into Healy’s brilliant but occasionally self-indulgent mind.

From Washington Post • Oct. 21, 2022

But it is still worth thinking seriously about his stated disquietude, because no justice expressed the actual stakes of the case more bluntly.

From Slate • Apr. 25, 2022

But in times when I feel swells of disquietude, I don’t try to suppress them.

From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2021

In the morning my father’s disquietude was proven.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya