1
as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety
disquieting news of troubles downtown
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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
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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
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Recent Examples of disquieting
Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Perhaps that’s why Lucy was able to ignore the signs for so long, some of which the audience is given the chance to see in a dark and disquieting flashback that Kreutzer cleverly interjects during the movie’s second act.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 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
This dynamic suggests a disquieting loop.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
Even more disquieting, to me, is the fact that these camera systems have created a mass location tracking infrastructure knitted together by artificial intelligence.
—Jess Reia, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2026
And that is why some recent developments within the MAGA movement are so disquieting.
—Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 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
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
Perhaps that’s why Lucy was able to ignore the signs for so long, some of which the audience is given the chance to see in a dark and disquieting flashback that Kreutzer cleverly interjects during the movie’s second act.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 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
This dynamic suggests a disquieting loop.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
Even more disquieting, to me, is the fact that these camera systems have created a mass location tracking infrastructure knitted together by artificial intelligence.
—Jess Reia, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2026
And that is why some recent developments within the MAGA movement are so disquieting.
—Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 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 something disturbing about watching these already commonplace delusions about ChatGPT — Your particular version has a soul!—
Vulture,
Vulture,
17 May 2026
-
But as dubious therapies and unsettling postcolonial rituals blur the line between wellness and manipulation, Alexa begins uncovering the disturbing forces hidden beneath the retreat’s seductive façade.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Nowhere is this truer than in Russia, a nation marked by a long history of political repression alongside extraordinary literary brilliance, a rare and uneasy combination.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
Two women form an uneasy alliance to stop the killer — but their own motives end up playing a role in what happens next.—
Diya Chacko,
Oc Register,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The alerts were triggered by the severe thunderstorm moving through the area, alarming some residents who were unaware the city’s siren system now also goes off when a severe weather warning is issued by the National Weather Service.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Midway through my massage, the boat unmoored itself and set sail—setting off an initially alarming vibrating bed and whirring engine noise.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Tensions mount, especially when Matt reenters the picture, and Max Fabian’s fight choreography creates some unsettling moments.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
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And that is not even touching on all the unsettling racial humor that came with having Shane Gillis and Tony Hinchliffe — two comedians who have actually faced backlash for hate speech — on the dais for the roast of a Black entertainer.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
The debate comes after weeks of tense exchanges and shifting poll numbers.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
In the film, Keough plays Zalya, the pregnant sister of Keoghan’s troubled character, bringing a quiet emotional weight to a tense family story set around a struggling Circassian diner in New Jersey.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
None of the distracting political overcast stopped Hernandez from winning all three events the athlete competed in the first-round meet.—
Jackson Thompson OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
-
In this case, Swift opted to let the strands of her bow hang well past her ponytail, giving the hair accessory a veil-like quality without distracting from the rest of her look.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
In Texas, advocates for transgender rights said the settlement with Texas Children’s sets a troubling precedent.—
Jo Yurcaba,
NBC news,
16 May 2026
-
The deficit is already on a troubling path this year.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
That’s a lot of anxious energy surrounding a screening of a 55-year-old film that hasn’t been hard to see — in one form or another — in recent times.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
17 May 2026
-
Now, the Tiki Social at the Omni may be driving another escape, from our anxious times to the fantasy island life.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disquieting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disquieting. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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