DERAILING Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

derailing

verb

present participle of derail

as in bothering

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy according to police, the suspect had been derailed in recent months by mounting financial problems

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Recent Examples of derailing One train struck the rear of another that had stopped, derailing two cars. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026 Then the pandemic upended those plans, derailing the theatrical release as well. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 Oil flows have dropped amid the intensifying attacks, derailing an uptick in movement seen earlier this month. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026 Attacks on Saudi Arabia risked derailing the market recovery, the IEA said in its report, with Saudi production increases in September driving OPEC+ supply gains that month. — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026 Adding sweeteners, Ellison eventually convinced the Warner board to agree to a combination, derailing a WBD-Netflix deal. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026 One of Gates’ fears about letting AI continue unchecked is that society will turn against it entirely, derailing its potential to improve humanity, particularly through advances in science and health. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Observers note a similar transactional caution in Trump stalling on a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan—the largest ever—to avoid derailing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming state visit. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 Aug. 2026 His filing instead describes the intervention as a way to prevent a potential dispute unique to Harwood from derailing the removal proceeding. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for derailing

Verb

His work is autobiographical and based on whatever has been bothering him that year.

— Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
For example, companies that benefit from customers not bothering to cancel subscriptions, compare prices, or search for better deals have taken a beating in recent weeks.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of bothering

Verb

As is the case in its sister hotel Villa la Coste, a dizzying array of frequently changing contemporary artworks are displayed to distracting effect throughout.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Nov. 2026
His clothes and equipment, while full of detail, also aren’t festooned with distracting elements.

— Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of distracting

Verb

For example, in the 20th century there was a flawed world leader who held rigid ideologies, racial biases, and disturbing personal behaviors.

— Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2026
Her go-to is the Diolsty Vibrating Alarm Wristband, which vibrates discreetly to alert you without disturbing the people around you.

— Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2026

Definition of disturbing

Verb

Part of the reason the open letter concerning Nazi Substack newsletters didn’t stick, perhaps, was that no one is reading the same things anyway.

— Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 2 Nov. 2026
Most concerning for Talarico as Hispanic turnout explodes throughout the state are accounts that Latino men aren’t sold on his candidacy.

— W. James Antle III, The Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of concerning

Verb

Coolly, Violet responds that to avoid alarming the public, a few agitators have beenneutralized—now there’s a sticky euphemism—and their deaths passed off as revenge killings among drug traffickers.

— J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
But the idea that fine adaptations of great books need to be stopping points, rather than springboards, is alarming by itself.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of alarming

Verb

Ever since, plastics have become another red alert to add to our list of threats that are largely out of our control yet impossible to stop worrying about.

— Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Along with gas prices, healthcare is the biggest household expense worrying voters, polls show.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of worrying

Verb

Data center demand began driving up electric bills last year across a 13-state electricity grid stretching from Illinois to New Jersey and Maryland, angering ratepayers.

— Marc Levy, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Indeed, the survey showed that use of the horn is the most common action when drivers consider another driver to be annoying or angering them.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of angering

Verb

Where some of her peers were agitating for new ideological thinking inside the Party, Stevens was something closer to an earnest moderate.

— Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2026
But hell hath no fury like a Latino voter scorned and all this intimidation, in addition to a lack of follow-through on promises by Republican lawmakers since 2024, might have a boomerang effect by agitating Latinos into action.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of agitating

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“Derailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derailing. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of derailing

verb

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