as in disturbed
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
despite his career success, he has been distempered by nagging feelings of inadequacy his whole life
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Recent Examples of distempered
Mother had purchased a new bed and armoire for his room, and the walls were freshly distempered.
—
Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
Literary Hub, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distempered
Verb
-
Small black ants are generally harmless, but a colony of leafcutter ants can annihilate food crops, and aggressive fire ants build huge mounds and deliver a painful sting when disturbed.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
10 June 2026
-
In many cases, birds and their nests are protected by wildlife laws, meaning active nests should not be disturbed.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
The Lebanese government was alarmed by Israeli troops crossing its Litani River last month.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
8 June 2026
-
The unprecedentedly large numbers of killings alarmed Western governments.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
In my memory, she’s often distracted, looking out the window.—
Andrea Bajani,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
-
Try not to become too distracted by the pools of water surrounded by large boulders.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
But former captain Landon Donovan is bothered by the fact that no American side since 2002 has won a knockout-round game and reached the quarterfinals.—
Julian Cardillo,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2026
-
Be specific about what behaviors bothered the rest of the group, and tell him no one is willing to travel with her again.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Residents and city leaders alike were concerned about a facility of its type, regardless of size, operating so close to homes and parks.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
12 June 2026
-
Throughout the series, Lennertz and Bowen were concerned with finding a musical language for the characters, and often tried to find corollaries in their instrumentation for the actors’ gestures and expressions.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Despite shooting 1-for-16 and committing five turnovers in the final period, Valkyries coach Nakase said nothing worried her about her team’s fourth quarter performance.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
13 June 2026
-
Helen worried about Pip’s socialization.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
The individual who called emergency personnel about the male, whose age has yet to be disclosed by officials, reported he was agitated and asking strange questions, police said.—
Ray Campos,
CBS News,
23 May 2026
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Historically, in situations involving large numbers of dogs, rescue teams have reported the animals to be agitated, stressed and fearful of human interaction (resulting in shyness or aggression).—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
The borrowing is heavily long-dated, reflecting the multi-decade life the companies assign to their data centers, which loads more interest-rate sensitivity onto buyers at a time when the direction of rates is unsettled.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
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The uncertainty on election night capped a race that remained crowded and unsettled to the end.—
Marisa Lagos,
NPR,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Distempered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distempered. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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