unsettle

verb

un·​set·​tle ˌən-ˈse-tᵊl 

unsettled; unsettling; unsettles

transitive verb

1

: to loosen or move from a settled state or condition : make unstable : disorder

A mild aftershock unsettled several more structures.

2

: to perturb or agitate mentally or emotionally : discompose

Such a sudden change will only unsettle her.

intransitive verb

: to become unsettled

Synonyms of unsettle

• disturb
• distract
• bother
• alarm
• worry
• concern
• agitate

Examples of unsettle in a Sentence

Such a sudden change will unsettle her.

the news that the local grocery store had sold contaminated produce unsettled many shoppers

Recent Examples on the Web

This is the dimension in which the United States has the most potential wherewithal to unsettle the autocrats. —Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

The spike in violence has unsettled a population accustomed to relative stability and has turned public security into Chile’s top political issue. —Morgan Phillips, FOXNews.com, 15 Dec. 2025

The results might unsettle foreign investors, analysts say. —Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 15 Dec. 2025

As a series of perverse scam calls unsettles an idyllic retirement community, a starry-eyed nurse becomes entangled with her mysterious patient. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 10 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for unsettle

• betel
• cetyl
• kettle
• metal
• mettle
• nettle
• petal
• setal
• settle
• diacetyl
• gunmetal
• nonmetal

Kids Definition

unsettle

verb

un·​set·​tle ˌən-ˈset-ᵊl 

ˈən-

1

: to move or loosen from a settled state

2

: to make uneasy

change unsettles him