troublesome

adjective

ˈtrə-bəl-səm How to pronounce troublesome (audio)
Definition of troublesomenext
as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety the troublesome news that there will be more cuts in the school budget

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 troublesome Some oil tankers have made their way through the strait, but LNG tankers are a more troublesome target, according to Robin Mills, a non-resident fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy and CEO of Qamar Energy. — Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026 In Bad Apples, Maria ends up accidentally taking and locking her troublesome student, Danny, in her home following a series of questionable decisions and a desperate moment. — Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026 That is, they're probably designed to knock out key systems of adversary satellites rather than destroy the entire spacecraft (which would create a cloud of potentially troublesome debris). — Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026 That could be troublesome behavior for some individuals who should realistically prioritize building an emergency savings fund or paying down debt over going on vacation. — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for troublesome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troublesome
  1. disturbing
  2. unsettling
  3. troubling
  4. nasty
  5. frightening
Adjective
  • Even when the metaphor is painfully on the nose, the film’s most disturbing images are more than their dramatic limitations and a whale is still an astonishing place to spend a movie.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
  • When her aunt Helena and paralyzed grandmother Regina arrive, the fragile boundaries between everyday life, ancestral superstition and Trina’s increasingly disturbing nightmares begin to collapse.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • The mystery comedy, loosely inspired by the 1989 film starring Tom Hanks, follows a married couple whose move into the husband's childhood home exposes unsettling secrets in their seemingly quiet suburban neighborhood.
    — Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Liminal Yellow can read as warm or slightly unsettling, WGSN says, depending on how it is styled.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of unsettling
Adjective
  • More troubling still is that their grasp on time, then their very consciousness, begins to break down.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The worst security failure in the country’s history raised troubling questions about whether the financial lifeline helped to sustain Hamas’s grip on power and, in turn, enabled it to carry out the assault.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of troubling
Adjective
  • The polls still show a close-range contest, but in the increasingly nasty ad war, the spending suggests a far more lopsided fight.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Officers then cuffed the youngster as he was loaded into an ambulance and hospitalized for a fractured femur and a nasty bruise on his head, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the teen’s dad, Mahmoud Saleh, in Brooklyn Federal Court.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of nasty
Adjective
  • There is nothing more frightening than when the familiar starts acting strange, in movies or in life.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • And with Halloween nearly upon us, the question of what frightening, shocking, silly, classic, or demonically camp movies to press play on again (and again) has never been more pertinent.
    — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of frightening

Browse Nearby Words

troubleshooters
troublesome
troubling
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Cite this Entry

“Troublesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troublesome. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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