as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty
a perturbed look betrayed her nervousness at her first job interview
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in disturbed
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
the caller's strange remark perturbed me enough to keep me awake that night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 perturbed
Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025
Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
Some users were perturbed by Obuzic’s stories.
—Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
Brunson was clearly perturbed by the sound of his friend chewing while in front of a microphone.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Whenever grief has perturbed him, Caballero has processed it through creativity.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
However, some users are perturbed by the new home screen.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026
Weston Richey, a 25-year-old Texan photographer with whom Kyra seemed to be perturbed, pulled her for a chat to try to figure out why she was annoyed with him.
—Anna Peele, Vulture, 20 May 2026
The survey reflects a sense that Americans may be growing less concerned about dying, and more perturbed by the financial implications of remaining alive.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 4 May 2026
Brubaker, still perturbed about Wolcott calling time, immediately yelled at Wolcott and had to be calmed down by Susac.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Dickinson appeared somewhere between perturbed and seething.
—Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
Trump’s executive order perturbed many in the architecture profession when it was issued last year.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
Some users were perturbed by Obuzic’s stories.
—Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
Brunson was clearly perturbed by the sound of his friend chewing while in front of a microphone.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Whenever grief has perturbed him, Caballero has processed it through creativity.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
However, some users are perturbed by the new home screen.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026
Weston Richey, a 25-year-old Texan photographer with whom Kyra seemed to be perturbed, pulled her for a chat to try to figure out why she was annoyed with him.
—Anna Peele, Vulture, 20 May 2026
The survey reflects a sense that Americans may be growing less concerned about dying, and more perturbed by the financial implications of remaining alive.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 4 May 2026
Brubaker, still perturbed about Wolcott calling time, immediately yelled at Wolcott and had to be calmed down by Susac.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perturbed
Adjective
-
New Delhi, which has become increasingly worried about the safety of its seafarers during the US-Israeli war with Iran, has now urged Washington to halt strikes on shipping vessels.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
-
Anthropic is also worried that competitors could use Anthropic’s AI systems to turbocharge their own research — Anthropic uses its own AI systems to help create the next generation of its models.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Small black ants are generally harmless, but a colony of leafcutter ants can annihilate food crops, and aggressive fire ants build huge mounds and deliver a painful sting when disturbed.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
10 June 2026
-
In many cases, birds and their nests are protected by wildlife laws, meaning active nests should not be disturbed.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
Mamdani's win was seen as an upset to the establishment, since the 67-year-old Cuomo is the son of a three-time New York governor and held the position himself for a decade beginning in 2011.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Boise State fans could have been upset when they were upset at home by Fresno State as their season continued to slide away from them.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This poor girl no longer has an identity beyond pleasing her male companion, who becomes both stifled by alarmed by this sudden, non-consensual change in personality.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
Washington is increasingly alarmed by these vulnerabilities, eyeing both physical defense gaps and the risks bubbling up in software.—
Sebastian Herrera,
Fortune,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Fantasy managers were nervous about investing in Brown due to possible rotation but one per cent of them were rewarded with a goal, an assist and the scouting bonus.—
Holly Shand,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Hundreds of thousands of fans, sitting in bars throughout the city, watched televisions in nervous silence.—
Jenna Thompson
June 16,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Even if he’s never bothered to pause and consider it.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
-
In some cases, these kinds of candidates have not even bothered to vote, let alone hold public office.—
Garry South,
Mercury News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Nayyar played the socially anxious Raj Koothrappali, particle astrophysicist and BFF to Leonard.—
Grace Gavilanes,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
-
By our nature, we journalists are anxious to report fresh news, including the outcomes of elections.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Keys got distracted by Sikoa and Knight took control.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
Swift then got distracted by a fan who wanted to take a selfie, as Jenner, who was at the game with her boyfriend, Timothée Chalamet, turned around and continued speaking to her friends.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perturbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perturbed. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
