perturbed

adjective

per·​turbed pər-ˈtərbd 

: troubled in mind : feeling or showing agitation : bothered, upset

Never in his life had he been so perturbed, so horribly anxious.

—Frank Norris

The next 40 minutes were spent in a slow, long-distance waltz with the bear. He had spotted us, of course, and he climbed another 10 feet up the hill. He turned and chuffed once but didn't seem perturbed.

—Robert Sullivan

Synonyms

• worried
• upset
• nervous
• anxious
• troubled
• uneasy

Examples of perturbed in a Sentence

a perturbed look betrayed her nervousness at her first job interview

Recent Examples on the Web

Dickinson appeared somewhere between perturbed and seething. —Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for perturbed

• undisturbed
• unperturbed
• curbed
• disturbed