troubling

adjective

trou·​bling ˈtrə-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce troubling (audio)
: causing feelings of worry or anxiety
a troubling news report
It's not just trauma survivors who may be distracted or derailed by shocking or troubling material …Angus Johnston
troublingly adverb

Examples of troubling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That might just be its most troubling characteristic. Daniel Freed, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 President Biden’s failure to address our border crisis signals a troubling new trend and campaign tactic from the Left: a push to open our elections to noncitizen voting. Brad Raffensperger, National Review, 12 Mar. 2024 Academy members still have a troubling tendency to reward Black women for playing supporting, even subservient roles in other people’s stories — and little else. Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 City agencies are short staffed, leading to troubling delays. Jeffery C. Mays, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 The fact that parents not only sent their children away but forced them to stay there is only one of the troubling aspects of this story. Brian Lowry, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 Related: Cancer drug shortages should have patients rioting in the streets My colleagues across the state and country have reported similar troubling tales. Samyukta Mullangi, STAT, 1 Mar. 2024 In addition to the appearance of fundamental unfairness, legacy preferences are troubling because most of these schools that extend such an advantage accept so few qualified students to begin with. Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 But the Times, by opening its story with an anecdote later called into question by the victim’s family, along with the troubling actions of a freelancer, has left critics with plenty of material to sow doubt. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'troubling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of troubling was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near troubling

Cite this Entry

“Troubling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/troubling. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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