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Ela acordou mal-disposta.

Ela acordou mal-disposta.
She woke up queasy.
From Lesson 207:O corpo e o estado (estar de baixa)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Ela acordou mal-disposta.

Can mal-disposta mean anything other than "queasy"?
Yes! Depending on the context, mal-disposto (or mal-disposta for a female) can mean being physically unwell or nauseous, but it is equally common to mean being in a bad mood or grumpy. Without more context, "She woke up in a bad mood" is also a perfect translation for this sentence.
Why isn't there a word for "feeling" here, like "acordou a sentir-se mal-disposta"?
In Portuguese, you can attach an adjective directly to the verb acordar (to wake up) to describe the subject's state at that exact moment. While you could say acordou a sentir-se (woke up feeling), it is much more natural and concise to just link the adjective directly to the verb.
In the word mal-disposta, does the mal- part ever change to match the subject?
No, the mal- part stays exactly the same because it acts as an adverb (meaning "badly"), and adverbs don't change their form. Only the second part, the adjective -disposto, changes to match the gender and number of the subject. If it were a group of women, it would be Elas acordaram mal-dispostas.
What is the exact opposite of mal-disposta?
The opposite is bem-disposta, which means feeling physically well, cheerful, or in a good mood.

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