DISTURBINGLY Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

disturbingly

adverb

Definition of disturbingly

as in alarmingly

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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 disturbingly Garfield is disturbingly riveting as Altman, with his hypnotizing performance painting the most damning picture of the OpenAI CEO yet in any form of media. — Hayden Field, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026 Altercations between agitated people with dementia and other residents or workers charged with caring for them are disturbingly common in long-term care facilities and private homes. — Jordan Rau, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026 None did it quite as disturbingly, however, as Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, one of the earliest stars of the early-21st-century reality-TV revolution. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026 His Chris Hansen is all flashy surface, full of jittery go-getter energy and disturbingly devoid of inner life. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026 With Bryce Young as their starting quarterback the past three seasons, the Panthers have been disturbingly consistent in their Week 1 deficiencies, losing 26-10, 47-10 and 24-10. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 8 Sep. 2026 As Cuba’s hot summer nears its end with no sign of regime change on the communist-run island, Cubans continue to suffer miserable living conditions as the country’s humanitarian crisis gets disturbingly worse. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026 Through its complex depiction of a bloodthirsty mob, M explores the disturbingly violent tendencies inherent in human nature. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026 Dreams are one of the central organizing principles in a book that takes much of its power from how disturbingly unmoored the narrative is. — Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disturbingly

Adverb

The most infamous alignment risk experiment was one Anthropic conducted in early 2025, in which the company’s researchers found evidence that Claude and other leading AI models were alarmingly fond of blackmail.

— Kevin Roose, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026
Something threatening becomes funny, someone powerful becomes vulnerable, a ridiculous situation begins to feel alarmingly real.

— Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of alarmingly

Adverb

What the skeleton’s injuries actually resembled, somewhat unsettlingly, was a collision with a fast-moving train or car.

— Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 23 Sep. 2026
After a brief stay in a very creepy hospital (unsettlingly empty) Hal and John reunite.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of unsettlingly

Adverb

The movie’s strongest sequences provide the all-too-rare sensation of truly not being able to believe your eyes, as the film’s most fantastical elements feel distressingly real.

— Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026
The event was halted after an hour due to fears about her safety, which distressingly encapsulates a tension that the trans Mayan artist has navigated for years.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026

Definition of distressingly

Adverb

High-level players will basically always be in a drift—even during straightaways—to seize every opportunity to boost, just like people who were disgustingly good at Mario Kart DS back in the day.

— Adam Ismail, The Drive, 29 Apr. 2026
The next morning, Park awakes hung over before disgustingly scoffing down a handful of salmon off a caterer's serving tray.

— Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026

Definition of disgustingly

Adverb

And of course, my children finding ways to override my settings, thanks to Reddit threads, YouTube videos, and annoyingly good guesses.

— Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026
Pivots into a black-and-white Brazilian telenovela, which Camilo tunes into nightly while on baby duty, feed into the film’s nesting-doll narrative on paper, but in practice make for annoyingly gratuitous flourishes.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of annoyingly

Adverb

Such politicians viewed literature as subversive, irritatingly highbrow, and—like socialism—suspiciously European.

— Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Aaron, with divine intervention, turns the dust of the land into gnats that irritatingly cover humans and animals throughout Egypt.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026

Definition of irritatingly

Adverb

If anything, Trump’s escalating attempts to strong-arm people into a supposedly nicer term for AI makes him — and the industry itself — look awfully weak.

— Adi Robertson, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026
But the original Best R&B Album category still carries its own sense of cachet, and this year’s field should include some awfully heavy hitters.

— Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of awfully

Adverb

Another issue is that AI detectors are still not terribly reliable, which Vara addresses in her piece, citing a number of studies to bolster the credentials of Pangram.

— James Folta, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Probably nothing too terribly bad, especially since Denver has done it without much offensive consistency.

— Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of terribly

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“Disturbingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disturbingly. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of disturbingly

adverb

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