upsetting

adjective

up·​set·​ting (ˌ)əp-ˈse-tiŋ 

: mentally or emotionally troubling or disturbing : causing feelings of worry or anxiety

heard some upsetting news

an upsetting experience

We're up to [a deficit of] $1.5 trillion a year …. These numbers are truly upsetting.

—Bill Gates

Professors issue, or students demand, trigger warnings when presenting material that might be upsetting to some: depictions of rape, sexism, racism, suicide.

—Yvonne Abraham

upsettingly adverb

an upsettingly graphic depiction of violence

In comparison to male historical figures, the number of women that we learn about throughout school is upsettingly low.

—Alexis Gardner

Synonyms of upsetting

• disturbing
• unsettling
• troubling
• frightening

Examples of upsetting in a Sentence

the constant arguing is upsetting to a sensitive person like your grandmother

Recent Examples on the Web

The result is an emotionally and thematically dense story that’s as nourishing, sprawling, and upsetting as a great feature can be in a compact 37 minutes. —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 9 Dec. 2025

Representing Camp Pendleton and these service members is a true honor and hearing of this is tremendously upsetting. —Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 8 Dec. 2025

Mars and Saturn’s clash highlights an upsetting work or health matter. —Usa Today, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025

There’s nothing more upsetting than a stale doughnut! —Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for upsetting

• abetting
• begetting
• besetting
• bloodletting
• briquetting
• forgetting
• offsetting
• pipetting
• regretting
• resetting
• subletting
• typesetting