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

Some people have even accused the raptor center of only keeping Jackie to attract more donations, an upsetting allegation for the facility that takes in as many as 1,500 sick, injured or orphaned birds every year. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

Its staggering ascent in the Africa Cup of Nations is upsetting not just soccer stats, but ideas about who can be a soccer star. — Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2026

Going back and forth from one home to the other home each week can be upsetting or distracting, causing distress. — Patricia Fersch, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

And while the Lions try to fill the void on their roster, Arnold is in danger of joining a different and very upsetting list of NFL players. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026

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