Synonyms of unnerving

unnerving 1 of 2

adjective

as in disturbing

marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings

the unnerving news of yet another murder

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disturbing
• uneasy
• unsettling
• tense
• nervous
• anxious
• creepy
• restless
• disquieting
• distressing
• worrisome
• distressful
• fraught
• agitating
• embarrassing
• nerve-racking
• hairy
• nail-biting
• troublesome
• awkward
• strained
• bothersome
• discouraging
• foreboding
• disheartening
• misgiving
• restive
• unrestful

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• quiet
• comfortable
• peaceful
• tranquil
• calming
• restful
• quieting
• pacific

unnerving

2 of 2

verb

present participle of unnerve

1

as in paralyzing

to deprive of courage or confidence

the riding accident so unnerved me that for a while I was afraid to get back on a horse

Synonyms & Similar Words

• paralyzing
• frightening
• terrifying
• intimidating
• scaring
• unsettling
• emasculating
• demoralizing
• undoing
• disturbing
• debilitating
• wasting
• unmanning
• discouraging
• weakening
• enervating
• upsetting
• daunting
• softening
• unstringing
• disheartening
• terrorizing
• tiring
• sapping
• enfeebling
• disquieting
• dispiriting
• maddening
• dismaying
• neutering
• perturbing
• unbalancing
• unhinging
• deranging
• crazing
• psyching (out)
• prostrating
• fazing
• discomposing
• weirding out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strengthening
• nerving
• encouraging
• fortifying
• emboldening
• heartening

2

as in discouraging

to lessen the courage or confidence of

a figure skater can't afford to be unnerved by an occasional slipup

Synonyms & Similar Words

• discouraging
• frustrating
• daunting
• frightening
• disheartening
• intimidating
• horrifying
• dispiriting
• dismaying
• chilling
• troubling
• scaring
• demoralizing
• worrying
• distressing
• bothering
• unmanning
• afflicting
• throwing cold water on
• weighing
• trying
• saddening
• bullying
• depressing
• browbeating
• debilitating
• undermining
• cowing
• deadening
• vexing
• weakening
• irking
• dampening
• damping
• enfeebling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• encouraging
• cheering
• invigorating
• reinforcing
• reassuring
• enforcing
• nerving
• emboldening
• exciting
• enlivening
• heartening
• strengthening
• animating
• assuring
• steeling
• stirring
• gladdening
• stimulating
• provoking
• fortifying
• inspiring
• buoying (up)
• energizing
• lifting
• galvanizing
• quickening
• boosting
• rallying

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of unnerving

Adjective

The first confirmation of their mutual attraction arrives abruptly in chapter six, which begins with an unnerving in medias res scene of Azriel and Elain engaged in a secret makeout session. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026

There’s no evidence for this, though the lack of transparency from Russia is unnerving. — Faye Flam, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2026

In scores of pictures online, she is rendered as a red-haired goddess, her bright tongue stuck out from an unnerving smile. — Sam Kestenbaum, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026

So, fellow Chicagoans, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for the wildest, most unnerving rollercoaster ride of the four budget cycles that have comprised the city’s Brandon Johnson Experience. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026

This January, though, the neighbors discovered that the buyer who paid $650,000 for the site (though not those development rights) had an unnerving plan. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 21 Oct. 2026

But these four films manage to create genuinely unnerving atmospheres of dread. — David Faris, TheWeek, 20 Oct. 2026

Artificial intelligence, or basically anything unmanned, is unnerving. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 11 Oct. 2026

The Lansing Police department announced in a news conference that the five deaths occurred over the last year with unnerving similarities linking all of them, FOX 2 reported. — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Verb

More crucially, the anniversary brings what feels like a prophetic album back into view at a moment of unnerving relevance. — Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 11 Oct. 2026

Echoes of Weerasethakul aside, Chidgasornpongse has sculpted a stirring, unnerving film with its own acuity and rhythm. — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026

But not even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman—played here, with unnerving malevolence by Andrew Garfield—is the movie’s star character. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

In Russia, the fuel shortages are unnerving many Russians who had grown accustomed to the war in Ukraine being only a distant nuisance. — Ivan Nechepurenko, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Moldova reports another drone incursion During the aerial barrages, drones have repeatedly strayed into neighboring countries, unnerving leaders who are wary of Russia and fear being dragged into conflict. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

During the aerial barrages, drones have repeatedly strayed into neighboring countries, unnerving leaders who are wary of Russia and fear being dragged into conflict. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

OpenAI said quarter-on-quarter sales growth cooled to 18% while losses deepened, unnerving investors as the firm prepares for what is expected to be one of the biggest IPOs ever. — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2026

While SpaceX's satellite internet division, Starlink, remains the company's key revenue driver, the group's gigantic AI capex spend is unnerving investors, helping to drag the stock price lower in Wednesday's session. — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026