upsetting

adjective

up·​set·​ting (ˌ)əp-ˈse-tiŋ 

: mentally or emotionally troubling or disturbing : causing feelings of worry or anxiety

heard some upsetting news

an upsetting experience

We're up to [a deficit of] $1.5 trillion a year …. These numbers are truly upsetting.

—Bill Gates

Professors issue, or students demand, trigger warnings when presenting material that might be upsetting to some: depictions of rape, sexism, racism, suicide.

—Yvonne Abraham

upsettingly adverb

an upsettingly graphic depiction of violence

In comparison to male historical figures, the number of women that we learn about throughout school is upsettingly low.

—Alexis Gardner

Synonyms of upsetting

• disturbing
• unsettling
• troubling
• frightening

Examples of upsetting in a Sentence

the constant arguing is upsetting to a sensitive person like your grandmother

Recent Examples on the Web

Grief can make people do the unthinkable, as explored in this viscerally upsetting horror drama from Talk to Me directors Danny and Michael Philippou. —Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025

For David Martin, the outcome was upsetting but clarifying. —Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025

Unlike, say, the wearable AI device known as Friend — designed to eavesdrop on your life and offer up sometimes upsetting commentary — the Moflin doesn’t talk. —Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025

To me, there’s nothing more upsetting than excitedly going in the fridge to pull out ingredients for a crisp salad or plate up delicious fruit only to find everything has wilted, gotten mushy, and just plain ol’ sad. —Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for upsetting

• abetting
• begetting
• besetting
• bloodletting
• briquetting
• forgetting
• offsetting
• pipetting
• regretting
• resetting
• subletting
• typesetting