upsetting

1 of 2

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

upsetting

2 of 2

present participle of upset entry 1

Synonyms of upsetting

Adjective

• disturbing
• unsettling
• troubling
• frightening

Examples of upsetting in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

There’s so much premeditation and passion into doing that, and to actually play that with no music and just the sound and the banality of a lifeless body being hit by some blunt instrument is very viscerally upsetting. — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026

Come back to the conversation Whereas adults may be able to more quickly move on with their daily lives after feeling disturbed or frightened by upsetting media, children may experience more elevated and prolonged stress. — Anahi Collado, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026

This year’s livestream featured an example of how wild (and upsetting to humans) nature can be. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2026

For people like Emily Phelps who go to the park regularly that possibility is upsetting. — John Dias, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1872, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for upsetting

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