UNNERVING Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

unnerving 1 of 2

adjective

as in disturbing

marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings the unnerving news of yet another murder

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

unnerving

2 of 2

verb

present participle of unnerve

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in discouraging

to lessen the courage or confidence of a figure skater can't afford to be unnerved by an occasional slipup

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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 unnerving

Adjective

The closing scene of the film reveals the subtly unnerving final result. — Sezin Devi Koehler, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 2026 One of the most unnerving aspects of the case is the sheer number of people who witnessed Rivas Hernandez spending significant time with Burke as his fame exploded. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026 And for all their confidence, computers still hesitate in slightly unnerving ways. — Matthew MacConnell, ArsTechnica, 3 Aug. 2026 Not America’s sweetheart — America’s slightly unnerving art-school girlfriend. — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 3 Aug. 2026 But the most unnerving thing about the San Andreas fault these days may be its silence. — Rong-Gong Lin Ii Los Angeles Times, Arkansas Online, 2 Aug. 2026 Even more unnerving than the sheer volume is how little the impact is understood and accounted for. — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026 For Perry, however, the paradox of the Madden Center has become even more unnerving. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 23 July 2026 But the groaning synthesizer underneath her bashful smile tells you something is off — a crystalline tone now distended, unnerving. — Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026

Verb

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 His bet is that the same technology unnerving finance chiefs, artificial intelligence, is what finally drags that sector into the modern era. — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 Alan Greenspan, who led the Federal Reserve under four presidents, steering the economy through unprecedented growth but also unnerving crisis, has died. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 22 June 2026 Two decades ago, Pratt’s unnerving talent for getting as much attention as possible secured him a spot on a TV show. — Louis Staples, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026 Still, Hollywood, and its significance to moviemaking, has a singular, unnerving allure on her. — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026 The president immediately began speaking more about buying or seizing Greenland, further unnerving NATO allies. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 2 May 2026 The most recent of these was just two years ago, when eastern and central swathes of the United States experienced the path of totality, the phenomenon that casts daytime into eerie midnight blackness for unnerving lengths of time. — Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2026 Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, is sparking concerns about tightening energy supplies -- unnerving the world economy. — Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerving

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

Verb

Gripped by a paralyzing fear for the fate of her future children, Naama returns to the same monument where the infidelity took place; there, her parents appear before her.

— Katie Campione, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2026
But as anyone who’s stared at a wall of swatches well knows, choosing the right shade can feel paralyzing.

— Kelly Dawson, Architectural Digest, 31 July 2026

Definition of paralyzing

Verb

Lesley Lewis, who has run the French House pub in Soho for 37 years, said discouraging that tradition would only drive customers to other parts of the city.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Pushing for transparency and justice for victims can be discouraging, as files continue to be released with victims' names but often without those of the accused.

— Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of discouraging

Adjective

Meanwhile, China is tightening approvals for exports of rare earth products — a key bargaining chip at the last summit in Beijing, which sealed an uneasy trade truce.

— Andy Browne, semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2026
As the novel coronavirus overtook daily life, in the spring of 2020, our celebrities occupied uneasy terrain.

— Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of uneasy

Verb

Powell tried to open the stall door, and then began fondling himself, frightening the 11-year-old, who tried to leave, but Powell blocked him from getting out.

— Todd Feurer, CBS News, 6 June 2026
This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.

— Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 15 May 2026

Definition of frightening

Verb

But Algo’s hyper-logical, computerised process of consistently picking the favourites to win was undone in the second match of the day, with Ghana frustrating England in a 0-0 draw.

— The Athletic Soccer Experts, New York Times, 24 June 2026
The documentary’s contradiction is right there, enthralling us with the wild achievements Potter pulled off and frustrating us with his bombast, leading us to ponder whether, as The Dark Wizard suggests, either could exist without the other.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 May 2026

Definition of frustrating

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

Verb

What for decades seemed a hypothetical problem to be solved at some later date is suddenly a concrete, terrifying one for today.

— Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
And there was Erling Haaland living his best Norwegian life, terrifying on the pitch and absurd off it, multiplying his stardom with a flamboyance and humor that didn’t detract from his serious talent.

— Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of terrifying

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unnerves

unnerving

unneurotic

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Style

“Unnerving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerving. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of unnerving

adjective

verb

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