1
as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety
disquieting news of troubles downtown
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
with a disquieting voice she asked me to investigate the strange noise coming from the basement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in alarming
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
we were disquieted by the strange noises we heard outside our tent at night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disquieting
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 12 June 2026
At one hour and 20 minutes, this prime example of German Expressionism leaves its audience with disquieting visuals and a twist.
—Air Mail, 30 May 2026
Much of the film’s success, however, derives not from the twists and turns of plot but from simply situating the viewer in the disquieting vibe of this bizarre place.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
Paying tribute to a South Carolina town destroyed in the 1950s for a nuclear materials plant, the Durham avant-folk trio's disquieting new album is both a community service and a spiritual offering.
—Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 22 May 2026
Ben-Gvir’s management of it has been so disquieting that the Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, a former Tel Aviv district attorney, filed a sixty-eight-page petition to the Supreme Court requesting that Netanyahu be made to defend his refusal to fire him.
—Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
An office complex in Oakland has been seized by its lender through a foreclosure that serves as a disquieting reminder that financial setbacks continue to haunt commercial properties in the East Bay’s largest city.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
Pattinson and Zendaya play a couple whose wedding engagement is derailed after a disquieting revelation.
—ABC News, 1 May 2026
And so that’s the dispiriting, disquieting aspect of the story.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026
Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
The author calculated the shock wave’s energy that would be deposited in a human body by using physics similar to that of a bullet impact, which, though disquieting to say the least, is not a bad assumption from a scientific standpoint.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026
The impersonations were disquieting.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2026
Her images of ice blocks, lush fabrics, cherries, sea animals, and charred hearts are disquieting in the best way and well worth trekking to Santa Monica to witness in person.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
To say that Nicholas did not share his father’s politics is an understatement, but much of his bibliography can be seen as a reckoning with his father’s unsettling career in politics and disquieting legacy.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
The subjects say rending but also disquieting things about killing.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
This is NDiaye at her disquieting best.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 30 Dec. 2025
The combination of quavering flutes and solemn, unfamiliar corridors is disquieting.
—Hazlitt, 10 Dec. 2025
Adjective
Tavi Gevinson gets a brief but disquieting appearance as Gracie, one of Melanie’s former proteges who has achieved some success as an actor.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 12 June 2026
At one hour and 20 minutes, this prime example of German Expressionism leaves its audience with disquieting visuals and a twist.
—Air Mail, 30 May 2026
Much of the film’s success, however, derives not from the twists and turns of plot but from simply situating the viewer in the disquieting vibe of this bizarre place.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
Paying tribute to a South Carolina town destroyed in the 1950s for a nuclear materials plant, the Durham avant-folk trio's disquieting new album is both a community service and a spiritual offering.
—Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 22 May 2026
Ben-Gvir’s management of it has been so disquieting that the Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, a former Tel Aviv district attorney, filed a sixty-eight-page petition to the Supreme Court requesting that Netanyahu be made to defend his refusal to fire him.
—Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
An office complex in Oakland has been seized by its lender through a foreclosure that serves as a disquieting reminder that financial setbacks continue to haunt commercial properties in the East Bay’s largest city.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
Pattinson and Zendaya play a couple whose wedding engagement is derailed after a disquieting revelation.
—ABC News, 1 May 2026
And so that’s the dispiriting, disquieting aspect of the story.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
In a powerful and disquieting GQ profile, the band and some immediate friends and family unraveled the struggles that have plagued their lucrative but life-altering reunion, a kind of cautionary tale for leveling up after settling down.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
The author calculated the shock wave’s energy that would be deposited in a human body by using physics similar to that of a bullet impact, which, though disquieting to say the least, is not a bad assumption from a scientific standpoint.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026
The impersonations were disquieting.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2026
Her images of ice blocks, lush fabrics, cherries, sea animals, and charred hearts are disquieting in the best way and well worth trekking to Santa Monica to witness in person.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
To say that Nicholas did not share his father’s politics is an understatement, but much of his bibliography can be seen as a reckoning with his father’s unsettling career in politics and disquieting legacy.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
The subjects say rending but also disquieting things about killing.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
This is NDiaye at her disquieting best.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 30 Dec. 2025
The combination of quavering flutes and solemn, unfamiliar corridors is disquieting.
—Hazlitt, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disquieting
Adjective
-
There’s another, more disturbing chapter in the book about Jack Webb, the star of Dragnet.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
13 June 2026
-
Chestnut said the most disturbing part is that scammers were trying to take advantage of families in a vulnerable moment.—
Tori Mason,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
These memories of his brief, sad human life are uneasy dreams that Lestat wakes from on his tour bus as the sun sets over the road to Toledo.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
-
On top of the tense, uneasy dynamic created by the duo’s pairing, the series is wrapped in a twisty web of peripheral problems.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The closures shrink the countywide advanced voting location network from 18 to 12 voting sites — alarming some Johnson County and city officials and the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
-
For Denver residents like Marisa Saturni-Johnson, the sirens were alarming enough to send her family into shelter.—
Sarah Horbacewicz,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Upending the character’s world is the arrival of a mysterious new student, Robert Mallory, whose unsettling presence coincides with the activities of a serial killer known as The Trawler.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
10 June 2026
-
Her stance on gay and trans rights has evolved in especially unsettling ways.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Even-handed, compassionate, and as suffocatingly tense as a hangman's noose, Munich is Spielberg's most underrated film.—
Chris Nashawaty,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 June 2026
-
And what begins as a bonding moment between Beulah and Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) quickly turns tense when Beulah touches a nerve by bringing up the Dutton family's complicated past.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
In addition, intense, exciting soccer matches can be distracting and lead to overlooking subtle signs of dehydration.—
Lisa Fitzpatrick,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
Finally, toolbars are becoming more consistent, and the distracting icons in drop-down menus are quietly disappearing.—
Edward Mendelson,
PC Magazine,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
In one particularly troubling case, Chicago-area Endeavor Health continued to allow obstetrician and gynecologist Fabio Ortega access to patients despite receiving complaints.—
Emily Hoerner,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
-
The game got off to a troubling start for Boise, which lost midfielder Charlie Adams to a calf injury in the 7th minute.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Nayyar played the socially anxious Raj Koothrappali, particle astrophysicist and BFF to Leonard.—
Grace Gavilanes,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
-
By our nature, we journalists are anxious to report fresh news, including the outcomes of elections.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disquieting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disquieting. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
