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
Bill GatesProfessors issue, or students demand, trigger warnings when presenting material that might be upsetting to some: depictions of rape, sexism, racism, suicide.—Yvonne Abraham
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
Alexis Gardner
Examples of upsetting in a Sentence
the constant arguing is upsetting to a sensitive person like your grandmother
Recent Examples on the Web
Now, according to a report in the Financial Times, the U.K. government is seeking ways to avoid a confrontation with the tech companies, through fear of upsetting Donald Trump’s U.S. administration.
—Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
That movie’s sequel, 1997’s Mortal Kombat Annihilation was a total disaster, upsetting audiences of all kinds and putting the film franchise on ice for over two decades.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2025
Ray as the Fisherman is not a one-to-one comparison — this would be a little more like David Arquette’s Dewey being revealed as Ghostface, a slightly less upsetting development.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 July 2025
Hello and welcome to our annual celebration of Emmy voters and their infinite wisdom — as well as our annual airing of grievances about Emmy voters and their upsetting lack of attention to deserving shows and performers.
—EW.com, 15 July 2025
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Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
That movie’s sequel, 1997’s Mortal Kombat Annihilation was a total disaster, upsetting audiences of all kinds and putting the film franchise on ice for over two decades.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2025
Ray as the Fisherman is not a one-to-one comparison — this would be a little more like David Arquette’s Dewey being revealed as Ghostface, a slightly less upsetting development.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 July 2025
Hello and welcome to our annual celebration of Emmy voters and their infinite wisdom — as well as our annual airing of grievances about Emmy voters and their upsetting lack of attention to deserving shows and performers.
—EW.com, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for upsetting
Cite this Entry
“Upsetting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upsetting. Accessed 27 Jul. 2025.
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