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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 Chandler Newsome attempted to work out without being disturbed by his cats. Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025 Experts say to not disturb, move, touch or feed the animal. Stacie N. Galang, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025 Video from the scene on Thursday showed Sukkot surrounded by a group of Jewish men openly praying while an Israeli police officer walked around in the background, not disturbing or interrupting the prayer session. Tamar Michaelis, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2025 This involved manually disturbing the leg and then releasing it, capturing the resulting oscillations on high-speed video. ArsTechnica, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for disturb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disturb
Verb
  • Travel delays don’t bother Blues The Blues got stuck in Winnipeg after Game 5 due to an issue with the plane that was bringing them back to St. Louis.
    Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 2 May 2025
  • Luckily, my dog doesn’t bother the plants—except the ones in the garden—but this plant stand gives me peace of mind anyway.
    Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 May 2025
Verb
  • He's promised to remove taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security, and continue tax cuts that primarily benefited the wealthy, passed during his first term.
    Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Simply removing these tax cuts and refunds from the budget would give the state another $4 billion next year to brace for federal budget cuts or a likely recession.
    Nathan Gusdorf, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • When someone has it, their immune system goes into overdrive, producing more antibodies (or immunoglobulins, hence the name) than necessary that disrupt typical organ function.
    David Oliver, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
  • The administration’s moves will also halt a first-of-its-kind study of the causes of thousands of firefighters’ cancer cases and disrupt a program that provides health care to emergency personnel who responded to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.
    Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • According to Breen’s brother-in-law, Corey Feist, many people worried that any move to take care of their mental health could affect their jobs.
    Christina Ray Stanton, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Moran worries that Alvarado, a diabetic breast cancer survivor who suffers from high blood pressure and needs to eat and drink frequently, will have poor access to her medication in detention — or after deportation.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • That result weighed heavily on the players and coach Cathy Reese.
    Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 23 Apr. 2025
  • After waking up his wife in the middle of the night to take him to the emergency room, Carroll weighed himself.
    Gretchen Eichenberg, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Too often, however, the temptation to blame individuals or groups for housing ills distracts from the actual debate and prevents all stakeholders from discovering their mutual interests.
    Matt Frazier, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • The scientists now plan on developing the technology further, which will include boosting its ability to filter out distracting background noises such as those produced by body movements.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Boca Raton parks and recreation officials are looking to improve and update the city’s parks by analyzing the existing parks to determine what changes are needed the most and where to relocate some of the city’s current facilities.
    South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 22 Apr. 2025
  • The couple relocated to the Eastern Shore two years ago.
    Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • And when the series takes an occasional serious turn, you'll just be confused.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 2 May 2025
  • However, simply getting older doesn’t equate to consistently missing bills or appointments, having a hard time speaking with people, or feeling lost or confused in places that are familiar to you.
    Alisa Hrustic, SELF, 1 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Disturb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disturb. Accessed 7 May. 2025.

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