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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distempering
Verb
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One Florida resident reportedly hired a local mover without bothering to determine if the company was licensed, only to run into a boatload of trouble.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026 -
If your knee is bothering you, for instance, the vibration might distract your brain enough for the pain to temporarily retreat.—
Jennifer Heimlich,
Time,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Vitello pointed out that the alarms were especially distracting to Ray and Chapman because their families were in the stands.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
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The video might even have been less distracting if the shifting views and sometime dizzying zooms in and out had anything to do with the music.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The 12 villas come with a living room, a separate bedroom, and kitchen stocked with complimentary snacks and drinks from the mini bar, a pre-dinner amuse bouche from the chef each evening, and a patio with a separate entrance for staffers to set up morning breakfast without disturbing you.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Feb. 2026
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Set in the 1990s, the film centers on a young FBI agent (Maika Monroe) who investigates a series of disturbing murders connected by highly specific commonalities.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Otherwise, the onus is on individual consumers to find concerning practices and try to opt out.—
Adam Echelman,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
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How concerning are the turnovers?—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Recently, something new appeared on the landscape, alarming wildlife advocates like Christina Aiello.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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After her husband took her pets out of the room, Bloor then faced the even more delicate task of safely removing herself from the bed without alarming the snake.—
Phil Boucher,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Instead of worrying about ratings, the new late-night creators are directly beholden to their viewers.—
Joy Press,
Vanity Fair,
19 Feb. 2026
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But Joe Garcia, a Democratic former congressman from Miami, said that stance could backfire as Cuban Americans begin worrying about their relatives on the island.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At the same time, a vibrant woman enters his father’s life, unsettling the fragile balance between father and son.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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While a complete withdrawal from the GNU may be unlikely, the resurgence of internal debate alone risks unsettling a government whose stability rests, in part, on the DA’s role as a moderating force.—
Sam Mkokeli,
semafor.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Waddell wanted Marchment for his energetic, agitating style of play.—
Aaron Portzline,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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The agitating action of a washer can cause the foam to break into pieces.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
17 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Distempering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distempering. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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