troubling
adjective
trou·bling
ˈtrə-b(ə-)liŋ 
: 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
Angus Johnston
troublingly
adverb
Synonyms
Examples of troubling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What may be troubling the GOP's most conservative congressional faction is the reality that at least some bipartisanship is usually required to get things done in Washington.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2024
Weeks later, news broke that several herds in these states, as well as North Carolina, had been diagnosed with avian influenza — the same strain that has devastated bird populations across the globe and shown a troubling ability to jump to mammals.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Taxpayers with troubling challenges — such as questions about a tax bill or an IRS audit — could benefit from special Saturday hours on April 13 at the IRS taxpayer assistance center in Detroit.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 12 Apr. 2024
That troubling history formed the basis of the gloomy forecasts for 2024, given that the steep rise in benchmark interest rates since March 2022 mirrored those enacted by the tough-love monetarist Paul Volcker at the Fed four decades earlier.
—Tom Saler, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Related article Fitch downgrades China’s outlook over economic worries
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, President Joe Biden’s point person on the economy, focused on China’s troubling overcapacity during a high-profile visit to China this week.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
As the Miami Marlins continue to spiral to start the 2024 season — with their 3-2 loss to the New York Yankees on Tuesday dropping them to 1-11 — a few troubling trends have continued to impact the team.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
But a troubling pattern of downplaying affronts by Beijing would persist in other contexts.
—Matt Pottinger, Foreign Affairs, 10 Apr. 2024
But more than 120,000 Republican primary voters chose someone else over the former president — a potentially troubling figure in a state where the last two presidential elections were decided by just over 20,000 votes.
—Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2024
Weeks later, news broke that several herds in these states, as well as North Carolina, had been diagnosed with avian influenza — the same strain that has devastated bird populations across the globe and shown a troubling ability to jump to mammals.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Taxpayers with troubling challenges — such as questions about a tax bill or an IRS audit — could benefit from special Saturday hours on April 13 at the IRS taxpayer assistance center in Detroit.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 12 Apr. 2024
That troubling history formed the basis of the gloomy forecasts for 2024, given that the steep rise in benchmark interest rates since March 2022 mirrored those enacted by the tough-love monetarist Paul Volcker at the Fed four decades earlier.
—Tom Saler, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Related article Fitch downgrades China’s outlook over economic worries
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, President Joe Biden’s point person on the economy, focused on China’s troubling overcapacity during a high-profile visit to China this week.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
As the Miami Marlins continue to spiral to start the 2024 season — with their 3-2 loss to the New York Yankees on Tuesday dropping them to 1-11 — a few troubling trends have continued to impact the team.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
But a troubling pattern of downplaying affronts by Beijing would persist in other contexts.
—Matt Pottinger, Foreign Affairs, 10 Apr. 2024
But more than 120,000 Republican primary voters chose someone else over the former president — a potentially troubling figure in a state where the last two presidential elections were decided by just over 20,000 votes.
—Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 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.
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Cite this Entry
“Troubling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/troubling. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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