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

• discomforting
• discomposing
• disquieting
• distressing
• disturbing
• nagging
• nasty
• perturbing
• troublesome
• troubling
• troublous
• unsettling
• worrisome

Examples of upsetting in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Jack, the first Black world heavyweight champion who is considered one of the most important boxers of all time, was active during the Jim Crow era, upsetting white supremacists with his success and his marriages to white women. —Yinka Elujoba, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025

How upsetting is this to people who are national security professionals? —Steve Inskeep, NPR, 23 Apr. 2025

In November 2024, things took another upsetting turn. —Angel Saunders, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025

Psychological and Emotional Symptoms Finding out that cancer has spread or that treatment has stopped working can be very upsetting. —Julie Scott, Msn, Anp-Bc, Aocnp, Verywell Health, 17 Apr. 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