troublous

adjective

ˈtrə-b(ə-)ləs How to pronounce troublous (audio)
Definition of troublousnext
as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety a troublous teen whose antisocial antics had us all on edge

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 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
  1. disturbing
  2. unsettling
  3. troubling
  4. troublesome
  5. nasty
  6. frightening
Adjective
  • For Daughtry, who was dispatched to work the crash by his editor that day, the assignment was one of the most disturbing of his career.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
  • This disturbing contradiction suggests that different physical laws apply to the observer and the observed.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • There’s something so unsettling about a game show where the contestants’ well-being is not considered, and The Tonight Show leaned into that uncanniness to great effect.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The series explores the unsettling collision of ancient witchcraft beliefs and modern digital dating culture.
    — Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 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
  • To strengthen the troublesome solar cell interface, the NIMTE research team inserted an ultra-thin indium chloride intermediate layer that undergoes a localized reaction upon heating.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Astronomers were left with the troublesome task of pairing up two weird objects, smushing them together and hoping to get Lucifer as a result.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of troublesome
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

troubling
troublous
trough
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Cite this Entry

“Troublous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troublous. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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