as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety
the perturbing news meant that we'd have to end our vacation prematurely
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in alarming
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
the caller's strange remark perturbed me enough to keep me awake that night
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of perturbing
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 16 May 2026
Advertisement Indeed, along with a perturbing reliance on fossil fuels, around 18–20% of Saudi youth are unemployed, meaning developing productive avenues for them is a policy priority as set out in Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 30 Apr. 2026
Soon, Callaghan — alongside Nic Mosher and Evan Gilbert-Katz — was traversing the country in a shabby RV, documenting the surreal, perturbing and often hilarious fringes of American culture.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Now Hank has to contend with ride-share apps, boba, and bike lanes that interfere with his commute—adjustments that are perturbing to him.
—Adrienne Matei, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2025
Brown said the broader language in the bill that’s perturbing foreign investors is likely intended to be a safeguard against semantic workarounds for instituting digital service taxes and subsidiary top-up taxes — not to be a general-purpose punitive tool in an escalating trade war.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 11 June 2025
The new and somewhat perturbing actions that have been observed in early trials of the most advanced models comes from the disjunction between the AI's advanced capabilities and its fundamental lack of human-like moral reasoning or emotional capacity.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
But Citron has proved to be one of the most surefire defensive options in this year’s draft, pairing a perturbing timing off the ball with her notable length at 6-foot-1 to grow into one of the nation’s most disruptive defenders.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Wait a few hundred-thousand years, and another star will drift into our Oort cloud, perturbing it and potentially triggering new comets arriving in our inner Solar System.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
The collision would trigger fusion, perturbing a magnetic field, which in turn produces power.
—Harry Booth, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Dostál went from saving more than 14 goals above expected last season, his first year as the No. 1 option, to 2.9 goals below expected during the regular season and a perturbing 5.6 goals below expected in the postseason, per MoneyPuck.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 16 May 2026
Advertisement Indeed, along with a perturbing reliance on fossil fuels, around 18–20% of Saudi youth are unemployed, meaning developing productive avenues for them is a policy priority as set out in Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 30 Apr. 2026
Soon, Callaghan — alongside Nic Mosher and Evan Gilbert-Katz — was traversing the country in a shabby RV, documenting the surreal, perturbing and often hilarious fringes of American culture.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Now Hank has to contend with ride-share apps, boba, and bike lanes that interfere with his commute—adjustments that are perturbing to him.
—Adrienne Matei, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2025
Brown said the broader language in the bill that’s perturbing foreign investors is likely intended to be a safeguard against semantic workarounds for instituting digital service taxes and subsidiary top-up taxes — not to be a general-purpose punitive tool in an escalating trade war.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 11 June 2025
The new and somewhat perturbing actions that have been observed in early trials of the most advanced models comes from the disjunction between the AI's advanced capabilities and its fundamental lack of human-like moral reasoning or emotional capacity.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
But Citron has proved to be one of the most surefire defensive options in this year’s draft, pairing a perturbing timing off the ball with her notable length at 6-foot-1 to grow into one of the nation’s most disruptive defenders.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
Soon, Callaghan — alongside Nic Mosher and Evan Gilbert-Katz — was traversing the country in a shabby RV, documenting the surreal, perturbing and often hilarious fringes of American culture.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Wait a few hundred-thousand years, and another star will drift into our Oort cloud, perturbing it and potentially triggering new comets arriving in our inner Solar System.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
The collision would trigger fusion, perturbing a magnetic field, which in turn produces power.
—Harry Booth, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perturbing
Adjective
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There’s another, more disturbing chapter in the book about Jack Webb, the star of Dragnet.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
13 June 2026
-
Chestnut said the most disturbing part is that scammers were trying to take advantage of families in a vulnerable moment.—
Tori Mason,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
Verb
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But the attack ads and political endorsements generally associated with running for other offices have started showing up in judicial races, alarming some judges and raising questions about whether candidates who engage in such activity have the right temperament for the job.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
14 June 2026
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The 2023 property tax valuation cycle — and to a lesser extent, the 2024 and 2025 cycles — have been the subject of widespread outrage in Jackson County, with skyrocketing property values alarming homeowners and business owners alike.—
Ilana Arougheti
June 13,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 2026
Adjective
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Even when those withdrawals are planned, seeing balances decrease can feel unsettling.—
Andrew Rosen,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
Could Kadri, given the unsettling aspects of a trade and the finger injury, find a bump in play next year?—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
18 June 2026
Verb
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In addition, intense, exciting soccer matches can be distracting and lead to overlooking subtle signs of dehydration.—
Lisa Fitzpatrick,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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Finally, toolbars are becoming more consistent, and the distracting icons in drop-down menus are quietly disappearing.—
Edward Mendelson,
PC Magazine,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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Questions of value are difficult to answer with the VLE for a few reasons, the most troubling being that Mercedes-Benz hasn’t committed to a price for the thing yet.—
Tim Stevens,
Robb Report,
19 June 2026
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Other Republicans are more skeptical, a troubling sign for a president who prides himself on his business acumen.—
Linley Sanders,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Instead, the reviews were largely muted, with analysts not bothering to adjust their revenue estimates for 2027 or 2028, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
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That appears to be bothering people, as the broadcast noted some pointed conversations among the Spanish team during the hydration break.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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What began as a quiet evening quickly turned frightening after the couple climbed onto the jetty rocks to look for shells and crabs.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
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By the time of The Social Reckoning, a website that was once used to rate the attractiveness of women has gone on to disrupt global politics on a frightening scale.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 2026
Verb
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And some of the capabilities that these models have to access systems, not only federal government systems, but financial systems, is very concerning to us.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
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With remote attacks, employees receive emails concerning invoices or data migrations.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perturbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perturbing. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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