unsettling

adjective

un·​set·​tling

ˌən-ˈset-liŋ, 

-ˈse-tᵊl-iŋ 

: having the effect of upsetting, disturbing, or discomposing

unsettling images of the war

unsettlingly

ˌən-ˈset-liŋ-lē, 

-ˈse-tᵊl-iŋ- 

adverb

Synonyms of unsettling

• disturbing
• troubling
• frightening

Examples of unsettling in a Sentence

unsettling new developments in the effort to bring peace and stability to that region

had the unsettling task of picking out a coffin and making the other funeral arrangements for his father

Recent Examples on the Web

On the unsettling meme economy in the aftermath of violence. —Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026

Uncertainty can be unsettling nonetheless. —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026

What is odd, and so deeply unsettling, is how closely the atmosphere in Iran resembles the months before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. —Omid Memarian, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2026

Into the mix for our podcasters are children’s nursery rhymes, playing them backwards, and getting unsettling demonic messages, which Tuason throws in with the continuing plotline of this couple’s pending terror. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unsettling

• settling
• resettling