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

2 of 2

present participle of disconcert

Examples of disconcerting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

While bulls and bears will continue to argue about the ROI on AI spending, there were plenty of disconcerting signs across the full quarterly report. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2026

Wall Street is becoming more disconcerting about the data center buildout, and companies that are burning through free cash flow are getting punished. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026

Azriel, meanwhile, does seem to be leaning into the role of romantic lead he was always predicted to become, yet ACOSH gives Azriel and Elain a bizarrely disconcerting introduction. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026

The effect is especially disconcerting as this father and daughter navigate glad-handers and former Nazi collaborators in West Germany who are anxious to bury the past. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 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