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
Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
At a bar not far from Aghayeva’s dorm, a music-education scholar was perturbed, despite having been born in California.
—Jane Bua, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
We're not perturbed by the stock's back-to-back weak sessions following the earnings report .
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2026
The simulations also show that Chrysalis would have perturbed Iapetus's orbit, leading to its high inclination.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 17 Feb. 2026
The selloff also coincided with a probe into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, which perturbed global investors over the potential of a loss of Fed independence.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
Running back Josh Jacobs was just as perturbed.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
When the Tribune printed exclusive details in advance of one of Edgar’s budget messages, Egler called to express how perturbed he and the administration were.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Atoms used to regulate optical clocks are perturbed by infrared radiation emitted by surrounding components, including the metal vacuum chamber holding them.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Dickinson appeared somewhere between perturbed and seething.
—Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
Censori confirmed one part of earlier testimony — that Kardashian was reportedly perturbed when another employee mistook Censori for Kardashian during a visit to the house.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
At a bar not far from Aghayeva’s dorm, a music-education scholar was perturbed, despite having been born in California.
—Jane Bua, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
We're not perturbed by the stock's back-to-back weak sessions following the earnings report .
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2026
The simulations also show that Chrysalis would have perturbed Iapetus's orbit, leading to its high inclination.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 17 Feb. 2026
The selloff also coincided with a probe into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, which perturbed global investors over the potential of a loss of Fed independence.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
Running back Josh Jacobs was just as perturbed.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
When the Tribune printed exclusive details in advance of one of Edgar’s budget messages, Egler called to express how perturbed he and the administration were.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Atoms used to regulate optical clocks are perturbed by infrared radiation emitted by surrounding components, including the metal vacuum chamber holding them.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perturbed
Adjective
-
His first attempt was aborted after a phone call with his worried mother, and the second and third attempts were derailed because the team officials suspected his intentions and dropped him from the squad.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Easy-to-install solar panels that plug into a regular outlet are getting attention just as Americans are worried about rising energy costs.—
Jeff Brady,
NPR,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The hornets are extremely aggressive when the nest is disturbed.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Danita Hoskin, president of the Crown Hill Neighborhood Association, said that she was disturbed to learn recently that her neighborhood's life expectancy is more than 15 years shorter than for those who live north of 38th Street, according to the Polis Center at Indiana University Indianapolis.—
Jordan Smith,
IndyStar,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Frogs made enough big shots in the final minutes to prevent another upset.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
7 Mar. 2026
-
However, other kids of the same age range might be more upset by the violence and harsh realities of nature—especially the ruthless and brutal of hierarchy of nature during the dinosaur years.—
Alex Shoemaker,
Parents,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But though an -itis can sound intense, there’s still no reason to be alarmed (or, again, to rub your eyes).—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Rinehart’s comments alarmed some AP journalists.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The across-the-board beat may help settle a nervous investor base, at least for the time being, as Oracle’s results and backlog point to a continuing surge in demand for AI infrastructure.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Projections by Paramount’s management team that at least $6 billion in cost savings will result from the merger have made all of Hollywood nervous, but especially the workforce at WBD.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The state party chairman responded that his letter was not aimed at any specific candidate, and that he was not bothered that most candidates did not heed his call to exit the race.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The Neo is a product that was once unthinkable from a company that spent years panning the idea of netbooks and never bothered to make a budget laptop of its own.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The film is at its best building tension and showing us just how anxious life is under dictatorial rule.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The anxious impatience of being en route has permeated cootie catcher’s music since their earliest releases in 2021.—
Jude Noel,
Pitchfork,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In his monologue, Gosling began going through the motions of singing a song about Earth (with a planetary model hanging down as a visual) before getting distracted by pop star Harry Styles in the front row.—
Omar L. Gallaga,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Trump successfully distracted some MAGA folks from the Epstein case and the possibility that someone who accused him of foul play might be legit.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perturbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perturbed. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
