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

Ibogaine — a potent drug that sends users on an intense, sometimes emotionally upsetting, hours-long trip — has been touted as a way to treat traumatic brain injury and opioid addiction. —Erika Edwards, NBC news, 20 Apr. 2026

The Saddleback Valley Unified School District put out a statement saying the incident is deeply upsetting. —Michele Gile, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026

That was such a terrible shock and really upsetting, horrifying, and scary. —Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026

To be online is to have to actively avoid seeing upsetting images, though jobs like Margot’s are like trying to funnel the ocean through a colander. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 10 Apr. 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