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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb disturb contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of disturb are agitate, discompose, disquiet, fluster, perturb, and upset. While all these words mean "to destroy capacity for collected thought or decisive action," disturb implies interference with one's mental processes caused by worry, perplexity, or interruption.

the discrepancy in accounts disturbed me

When is it sensible to use agitate instead of disturb?

In some situations, the words agitate and disturb are roughly equivalent. However, agitate suggests obvious external signs of nervous or emotional excitement.

in his agitated state we could see he was unable to work

When is discompose a more appropriate choice than disturb?

The synonyms discompose and disturb are sometimes interchangeable, but discompose implies some degree of loss of self-control or self-confidence especially through emotional stress.

discomposed by the loss of his beloved wife

When can disquiet be used instead of disturb?

The meanings of disquiet and disturb largely overlap; however, disquiet suggests loss of sense of security or peace of mind.

the disquieting news of factories closing

When would fluster be a good substitute for disturb?

While the synonyms fluster and disturb are close in meaning, fluster suggests bewildered agitation.

his declaration of love completely flustered her

When could perturb be used to replace disturb?

Although the words perturb and disturb have much in common, perturb implies deep disturbance of mind and emotions.

perturbed by her husband's strange behavior

In what contexts can upset take the place of disturb?

The words upset and disturb can be used in similar contexts, but upset implies the disturbance of normal or habitual functioning by disappointment, distress, or grief.

the family's constant bickering upsets the youngest child

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of disturb The property served as both recording hub and the center of disturbing allegations that have long shadowed Kelly’s career. Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 14 Oct. 2025 This ensures smooth energy transfer without disturbing the lake’s ecosystem. Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2025 Wasps will become aggravated if their nest is disturbed, so it's not recommended to knock down the nest. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2025 Sarah Withers, a parent of three children in the district and a special education teacher, said she was concerned converting Les Paul Middle School into a K-8 STEM school may disturb special education students. Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for disturb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disturb
Verb
  • Not the kind of thrift store that’s actually thrifty, but the kind of thrift store that doesn’t have any price tags because the people who can afford to shop there don’t need to bother themselves with price tags.
    Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Being a double Viking with Swedish and Norman blood on each side of my family, the cold never bothered me.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But the lack of transparency and due process are similar, and there are few to no guarantees of the safety of people whom ICE agents remove, often without identifying themselves, and move around without notifying the family or lawyers of the detained.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Slowly but surely, the legal obstacles to taking games overseas have been removed over the past few years.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • He was also accused of disrupting a second informational table hosted by a student group, according to Illinois State University Police.
    Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Kathryn Palmer The shutdown unfortunately disrupted my weekend plans to check out the FDR Presidential Library in upstate New York, but the gorgeous fall weather in the area was a welcome consolation.
    Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • More broadly, the NBA has expressed concern about prop bets, while other sports leagues have worried about the potential for manipulation.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
  • After Trump spoke to Lurie, local leaders and advocates worried that Trump would shift his attention from San Francisco, which at one point hosted more billionaires than any other city, to less powerful and more diverse enclaves like Oakland and Alameda.
    Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The picture, posted on the club’s Instagram account, showed Bellingham suspended in mid-air, with a purple elastic band around the sole of his boots and holding a kettlebell weighing around 14 kilograms (31lb).
    Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
  • The 50% tariff on top US exporter Brazil, which has seen its coffee bean supply shrink due to a drought, weighs the heaviest on businesses.
    Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • While some critics are skeptical of the claims amid a lack of publicly available evidence – suggesting instead that they are meant to distract from growing public discontent and protests against Noboa’s government – the president insisted to CNN the threat was real.
    Max Saltman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
  • What Wednesday evening’s triumph also does is quieten the distracting outside noise that such a newsworthy club invariably attracts.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • If Doan’s Coyotes records were treated the same way Hawerchuk’s Jets records were, moving from one city to the next as a franchise relocated, then Utah Mammoth star Clayton Keller would be chasing him.
    Murat Ates, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Dinosaur mummy zone Senior author of the study, Paul Sereno, PhD, Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago, and his team relocated the sites in east-central Wyoming where several famous dinosaur mummies were discovered in the early 20th century.
    Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • One of the higher-ups felt my title Stairway to Heaven would be confused with the 1939 movie of the same name.
    Cameron Crowe, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Historically, people disguised themselves in mystical and mythical ensembles time of year in order to confuse ghosts and deter them from wreaking havoc; the Celts even carved faces into vegetables to keep the entities away from their food.
    Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Disturb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disturb. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.

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