1
as in annoying
causing annoyance
a disturbing visit by the next-door neighbor while I was trying to study
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in embarrassing
causing embarrassment
there was a disturbing silence as I struggled to remember her name
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3
as in unsettling
causing worry or anxiety
a disturbing trend in the nation's energy consumption
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4
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
a disturbing pause in the normally smooth operation of the machinery
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in alarming
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
all that talk of war disturbed us
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2
as in removing
to change the place or position of
the items on her desk had been disturbed by someone
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3
as in disrupting
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
her careful filing system is sure to be disturbed during the move
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4
as in bothering
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
sorry to disturb you while you're working
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5
as in troubling
to cause discomfort to or trouble for
please do not disturb yourself—I'll get my own drink
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disturbing
JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025
After combining the two, Barr gives the mask eyes similar to Labubu's and the doll's iconic teeth, creating a truly disturbing look.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for disturbing
Adjective
There’s something disturbing about these proscriptions, which is why both Kalmey and Miola identify them as critical.
—JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025
After combining the two, Barr gives the mask eyes similar to Labubu's and the doll's iconic teeth, creating a truly disturbing look.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
Martin revealed the repeat offender's disturbing search history.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for disturbing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disturbing
Adjective
-
Even sage advice given in an annoying manner will eventually be ignored, and the lord at last was driven out of his own house.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Los Angeles, where the produce is so fresh and enticing as to induce tears and the reservation culture is not nearly as annoying as New York, is a sprawling city with a sprawling food scene.—
Jocelyn Silver,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But for Dylan, going from Jew to Jesus freak—however slack a Jew he’d been—was no more questionable or embarrassing to him than going from acoustic to electric.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The Panthers are coming off an embarrassing 40-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Louise Hémon The jury would also like to acknowledge a director whose film transported us into an extreme landscape, and created an unsettling atmosphere that kept us contemplating the nature of lust, education, and violence.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Soon, though, her world is turned upside down by an unsettling and persistent stalker — or just a figment of her own fracturing psyche.—
Chris Snellgrove,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Across its run, The Witcher has traced the uneasy bond between Geralt of Rivia (Liam Hemsworth), the monster hunter bound by destiny; Ciri (Freya Allan), the princess whose power could save or destroy worlds; and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), the sorceress torn between ambition and love.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
-
In the Odyssey, Homer depicts Helen and Menelaus’s reunion as uneasy and sometimes tearful, after years of estrangement.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In a city home to the world’s largest Jewish population outside Israel, Mamdani’s message has struck sharply different chords, galvanizing left-leaning activists while alarming many Jewish voters who view his words as inflammatory.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Browning has thrown eight interceptions in four starts, which was alarming enough for the Bengals to make a move.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The company and store owners sued, arguing players could use an optional preview feature, removing the element of chance.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
-
If the President believes that imposing, removing, or amending tariffs is an appropriate policy measure, Congress has given him tools to pursue those goals.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And that crackdown is disrupting the global remittance market.—
NPR,
NPR,
29 Oct. 2025
-
This prevents stray heat from disrupting the atoms’ oscillations.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
If something’s bothering you, say so.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Saft, not bothering to remove his sneakers, leaped onto a chair to place an ornate gold mirror over the mantelpiece.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disturbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disturbing. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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