Feeling discomfort is a common human experience, and having the right expressions can help you articulate these feelings more effectively. Here are 20 expressions that convey various forms of discomfort, each with a brief meaning and an example sentence to illustrate its use.
1. On Edge
Meaning: Nervous, anxious
Example: She felt on edge during the meeting.
2. Under the Weather
Meaning: Feeling ill
Example: He’s been under the weather all week.
3. A Pain in the Neck
Meaning: Annoying
Example: This project is a pain in the neck.
4. Rub the Wrong Way
Meaning: Irritate
Example: His comments rubbed me the wrong way.
5. Bite the Bullet
Meaning: Endure pain
Example: She had to bite the bullet and finish it.
6. Burn the Midnight Oil
Meaning: Stay up late
Example: I burned the midnight oil to meet the deadline.
7. Feel Like Death Warmed Over
Meaning: Very ill
Example: After the flu, he felt like death warmed over.
8. Throw a Wrench in the Works
Meaning: Cause problems
Example: His late arrival threw a wrench in the works.
9. Have Butterflies in Stomach
Meaning: Nervousness
Example: She had butterflies in her stomach before the test.
10. Walk on Eggshells
Meaning: Be cautious
Example: We walked on eggshells around our strict boss.
11. Get Cold Feet
Meaning: Hesitate
Example: He got cold feet before the wedding.
12. Put Through the Wringer
Meaning: Suffer
Example: The team was put through the wringer last season.
13. Have Ants in Pants
Meaning: Unable to sit still
Example: The kids had ants in their pants during the trip.
14. Break Out in a Cold Sweat
Meaning: Fear
Example: He broke out in a cold sweat before the speech.
15. Catch One’s Breath
Meaning: Recover
Example: She had to catch her breath after running.
16. Make One’s Skin Crawl
Meaning: Feel disgusted
Example: Spiders make my skin crawl.
17. Feel the Heat
Meaning: Under pressure
Example: He felt the heat during the interview.
18. Hit a Nerve
Meaning: Upset someone
Example: His comments hit a nerve with her.
19. Out of Sorts
Meaning: Unwell
Example: She was out of sorts after the long flight.
20. Pull One’s Hair Out
Meaning: Frustrated
Example: I was pulling my hair out over the paperwork.
