disconcerting

1 of 2

adjective

dis·​con·​cert·​ing ˌdis-kən-ˈsər-tiŋ 

: causing feelings of worry, concern, or anxiety : disturbing, unsettling

The question she, like everyone else, really wants answered, of course, is whether anyone has actually gone blind as a result of LASIK. And the rather disconcerting answer is that no one seems to know …

—Vogue

There is nothing quite so disconcerting at breakfast as having a proper soft cooked egg arrive at table improperly cold.

—Gourmet

In 2005 Edinburgh Zoo issued a public notice after several panicked Scots reported seeing a spider called a false widow, which has a disconcerting behavior of rushing toward people who approach it.

—Eben Harrell

disconcertingly adverb

disconcerting

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present participle of disconcert

Examples of disconcerting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Ultimately, swarms of AI could combine in rather disconcerting and dangerous ways. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

There was a brief, disconcerting interlude of quiet from the Argentina fans after that. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

In the finale, Matthew’s scenes with K Callan, who plays Ruth, are really disconcerting. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2026

Bari Weiss directed the housecleaning at the newsmagazine last week, and Nick Bilton signed the letter telling Scott Pelley he was fired on Tuesday night, but the Paramount CEO owns the decisions and the disconcerting fallout. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 3 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of disconcert

First Known Use

Adjective

1761, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for disconcerting

• controverting
• reasserting
• adverting
• alerting
• asserting
• averting
• converting
• diverting
• exerting
• inserting
• inverting
• perverting