unhinging

verb

present participle of unhinge
1
as in disturbing
to cause to go insane or as if insane the endless harassment by the guards completely unhinged the prisoners of war

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in alarming
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy I was momentarily unhinged by the unexpected question

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 unhinging Burmese pythons, which can engulf an entire Presidential golfing party simply by unhinging their (the pythons’) jaws, inhabit the environs of the Gulf of Mexico, and have even been seen swimming offshore. — Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhinging
  1. disturbing
  2. alarming
  3. deranging
  4. distracting
  5. unbalancing
  6. bothering
  7. unsettling
  8. concerning
Verb
  • Harper’s left behind records detailing disturbing behavior that seem not to have been based in fact.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 30 July 2026
  • Out of competition The world of elite sports is taken to disturbing new heights full of brutality and painful ambition in the new film from Nikias Chryssos (The Bunker, Rave On, A Pure Place).
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2026
Definition of disturbing
Verb
  • In Orange County, the Florida Department of Health in Orange County maintains infectious-disease surveillance and disease-reporting services for residents and visitors, which is exactly how local systems stay ready without alarming the public.
    — Luis E. Caso Vega, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 July 2026
  • So, even just the unusual presence of an aircraft in this area made this incident alarming for one resident, Anna, who spoke to CNN near the scene.
    — Steven Jiang, CNN Money, 26 June 2026
Definition of alarming
Verb
  • Instagram demanded a certain sort of woman and then produced her, deranging broad swaths of the population in the process.
    — Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 11 July 2026
  • Gabriel going missing proves to be deranging to Caroline, and the novel becomes increasingly deranged with her.
    — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Definition of deranging
Verb
  • The Art of Peripheral Focus One of the primary challenges of a 270-degree projection is ensuring the peripheral imagery enhances the experience without distracting from the central narrative.
    — Benny Har-Even, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • In the context of tens of thousands of DPS students who aren’t making gains quickly enough to ever meet proficiency levels, such fanfare is essentially distracting braggadocio.
    — Elaine Gantz Berman, Denver Post, 27 July 2026
Definition of distracting
Verb
  • The risk is that only a handful of clubs will be able to cough up those sums, unbalancing the market.
    — Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 19 May 2026
Definition of unbalancing
Verb
  • Wasps are generally more interested in building their colony and finding food than in bothering people.
    — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 17 July 2026
  • But after going ahead, England manager Thomas Tuchel tried to shut the back door by throwing on countless defenders and not bothering to attack Argentina anymore.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of bothering
Verb
  • When an accident brings the enigmatic Gaia into their lives, unexpected desires begin to take shape, unsettling the careful balance that has long defined their relationship.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 9 July 2026
  • The paper shared the accounts of three women who had dated Platner within the past fifteen years and had found his behavior unsettling.
    — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 7 July 2026
Definition of unsettling
Verb
  • Another exec from a team in need of a catcher said Goodman’s defense was so concerning that his club did not even check with the Rockies about their price.
    — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • The committee separately released records concerning Fauci’s awards and prize money.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 July 2026
Definition of concerning

Browse Nearby Words

unhinges
unhinging
unhip
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Cite this Entry

“Unhinging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhinging. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of unhinging for Spanish Speakers

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