DISTEMPERING Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

distempering

verb

present participle of distemper

as in bothering

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy despite his career success, he has been distempered by nagging feelings of inadequacy his whole life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for distempering

Verb

Bri reached basically the same conclusion without bothering with the cardio experiment.

— Kevin Fanady, New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026
His work is autobiographical and based on whatever has been bothering him that year.

— Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 15 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

All of a sudden, the war took on a more present form, unsettling a kingdom unused to conflicts playing out on home turf.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
But the long gearing also has its benefits in fast driving, allowing full-throttle use without overwhelming the chassis or unsettling the rear end on corner exit.

— Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of unsettling

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

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.

Browse Nearby Words

distempered

distempering

distempers

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Distempering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distempering. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of distempering

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

defer

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes