unsettle
verb
un·set·tle
ˌən-ˈse-tᵊl 
unsettled; unsettling; unsettles
1
: to loosen or move from a settled state or condition : make unstable : disorder
2
: to perturb or agitate mentally or emotionally : discompose
: to become unsettled
Synonyms
Examples of unsettle in a Sentence
Such a sudden change will unsettle her.
the news that the local grocery store had sold contaminated produce unsettled many shoppers
Recent Examples on the Web
The ringing in his ears from the 113.4 mph rocket must have unsettled Winn.
—
Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 15 May 2024
The unrest on campus and reports of antisemitism unsettled Shirel Stemmons, who monitored the news with her husband, Robert, from their home in London.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
With Biden at the Holocaust commemoration will be Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana who dashed for Columbia University two weeks ago as anti-Gaza war protests and record antisemitism began unsettling college campuses.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
Either way, observers have interpreted these accounts as unsettling glimpses of a future in which men and women ascribe personalities to artificially intelligent war machines.
—IEEE Spectrum, 27 Apr. 2024
May 11, 2023 issue Dan Chiasson Larger Than Life
Nearly sixty years after its founding, Bread and Puppet Theater still has the power to unsettle, despite evoking old battles, old adversaries, and perhaps even lost causes.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 2 May 2024
The more Owen goes down the rabbit hole (which, given the movie’s look, is most likely guarded by this rabbit), the more surreal and unsettling everything gets.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2024
The intense emotions on both sides have created a climate that has unsettled both Jewish and Muslim students.
—Jocelyn Gecker and Steve Leblanc, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2024
Ruling on transgender student participation in sports remains unsettled
The Biden administration did not rule on whether transgender and nonbinary students can participate on the sports teams that align with their gender.
—Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 15 May 2024
The unrest on campus and reports of antisemitism unsettled Shirel Stemmons, who monitored the news with her husband, Robert, from their home in London.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
With Biden at the Holocaust commemoration will be Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana who dashed for Columbia University two weeks ago as anti-Gaza war protests and record antisemitism began unsettling college campuses.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
Either way, observers have interpreted these accounts as unsettling glimpses of a future in which men and women ascribe personalities to artificially intelligent war machines.
—IEEE Spectrum, 27 Apr. 2024
May 11, 2023 issue Dan Chiasson Larger Than Life
Nearly sixty years after its founding, Bread and Puppet Theater still has the power to unsettle, despite evoking old battles, old adversaries, and perhaps even lost causes.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 2 May 2024
The more Owen goes down the rabbit hole (which, given the movie’s look, is most likely guarded by this rabbit), the more surreal and unsettling everything gets.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2024
The intense emotions on both sides have created a climate that has unsettled both Jewish and Muslim students.
—Jocelyn Gecker and Steve Leblanc, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2024
Ruling on transgender student participation in sports remains unsettled
The Biden administration did not rule on whether transgender and nonbinary students can participate on the sports teams that align with their gender.
—Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unsettle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near unsettle
Cite this Entry
“Unsettle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsettle. Accessed 20 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unsettle
verb
un·set·tle
ˌən-ˈset-ᵊl
ˈən-
1
: to move or loosen from a settled state
2
: to make uneasy
change unsettles him
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