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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disquieting
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
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
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
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
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
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
-
This approach to archival material thus wrestles with a disturbing present in which family dispossession is both normalized and pathologized in the media every single day.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
-
The report, released Thursday, details disturbing accounts from several of Platner’s ex-girlfriends.—
Britta Miller,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
Yet at the height of his triumph, Brooks was uneasy.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
-
After feeling uneasy about being famous for comedy at first, Faris now sees it as a privilege.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
4 June 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
-
This unsettling event haunted Stephen for decades, driving him to collaborate with filmmakers Cynthia Hill and Christine Delp in a search for answers.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
-
When an unsettling piece of evidence is revealed, Tara and her crew investigate the disturbing circumstances surrounding the case and attempt to uncover the truth about her brother’s disappearance.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Antonelli leads by 43 points from Russell after a tense wheel-to-wheel battle between them at the last race in Canada ended abruptly with an engine failure for Russell.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
-
Scott Pelley was then fired this week after a tense confrontation with CBS News bosses.—
Jocelyn Noveck,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
The formal obligation to bow or curtsy will force targets to bend a knee and break eye contact—a perfect opening for the President to place something distracting like a Twix bar on their heads.—
Dahlia Gallin Ramirez,
New Yorker,
9 June 2026
-
Reid plays this so well, but the direction is a little over the top, with drug-trip visuals that are too distracting to follow the dense-as-ever disjointed narration.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
The underlying numbers are just as troubling.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
The twin offensives are targeting Hamas and Hezbollah respectively, though critics argue that the operations are motivated at least in part by domestic politics — Israel is due to hold elections by October — and are amplifying troubling humanitarian situations in Gaza and Lebanon.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
At one end is the anxious, under‑saved retiree doing everything possible to stretch limited assets.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 June 2026
-
During the first week of the cell phone ban at my school, students were anxious about losing the constant stream of their music, the ability to maintain instant communication with friends, and the immediate access to their social media feeds.—
Sarah Said,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disquieting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disquieting. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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