TROUBLOUS Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

troublous

adjective

ˈtrə-b(ə-)ləs

Definition of troublous

as in disturbing

causing worry or anxiety a troublous teen whose antisocial antics had us all on edge

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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 troublous Then there were the ghoulish figures of revolutionary adventurers, the Mexican painter with two pistols in his belt, the men who were carving themselves careers out of these troublous times. — John Dos Passos, National Review, 28 Sep. 2020

Recent Examples of Synonyms for troublous

Adjective

To say all of this is eye-opening and disturbing doesn’t begin to cover it.

— Randy Myers, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026
These are questions that can be discomfiting, even disturbing.

— Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of disturbing

Adjective

Pork Soda, in particular, foreshadowed the weight of nu-metal acts like Korn, who also deployed sagging bass in service of profoundly unsettling narratives.

— Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
But let that terror develop for just a second and something more unsettling will emerge.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 31 July 2026

Definition of unsettling

Adjective

But what’s perhaps more troubling are the implications of AI as an increasingly active participant in conversations surrounding beauty.

— Jaimie Potters, InStyle, 5 Aug. 2026
But when state attorneys general bring an antitrust lawsuit in large part to get around First Amendment protections, that is deeply troubling.

— Chris Wallace, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of troubling

Adjective

Shortly after the Los Angeles Dodgers polished off a 4-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night, Shohei Ohtani checked in with the club’s training staff to report further soreness in his troublesome left knee.

— Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 31 July 2026
This has always been a kind of troublesome event from a point of view of Washington journalism.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026

Definition of troublesome

Adjective

Under its guidance, untold hectares of nasty greenery have succumbed to billions of dollars in herbicide.

— Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
The schedule is nasty, too, with the Wolverines’ first five Power 4 opponents all capable of winning nine or more games this year.

— Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

Rob remembers the first two days in the hospital as frightening and uncertain.

— Lisa Hughes, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Chris Hemsworth's latest family vacation took a frightening turn when the actor found himself aboard a small plane caught in the middle of a lightning storm.

— Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026

Definition of frightening

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troubling

troublous

trough

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“Troublous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troublous. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of troublous

adjective

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