as in disturbing
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
the unnerving news of yet another murder
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unnerving
Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Particularly in the era of LLM chatbots, which will flatter us and every one of our thoughts in conversation, self-inflicting this type of harsh criticism upon ourselves and our cherished ideas may seem especially unnerving.
—Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
When those same renters feel unsafe going to work, the upshot is a crisis unfolding indoors — one that's less visible than arrests and detentions on the streets, but still deeply unnerving.
—CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The Seattle Seahawks’ postgame celebration at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night was unnerving.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
Jorge Gomez, a recent retiree who has lived in the area for about 10 years, said the news was unnerving.
—New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
In addition to helping quell fear, the songs were unnerving to authorities trying to maintain segregation.
—David W. Stowe, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
Alas, the artistic conduit that Pari creates for her fears is a two-way street, and the film’s most unnerving scene, shot in a menacing slow zoom, observes in horror as a friendly post-show conversation sours into the stuff of a direct threat.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2026
The size of the debt is difficult to comprehend and also unnerving, even to many who are used to very large numbers.
—Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
The videos shared by robot builder and researcher Logan Olson from October show the training exercise that enables a humanoid unit to suddenly drop to all fours and crawl at an unnerving speed and with unnerving flexibility.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
Especially unnerving this year for hoteliers was a far less robust summer than normal, so much so that nightly rates for the hotel group fell by as much as 10%, depending on the day of the week, Gleason said.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
Immigration crackdowns are unnerving a part of the population.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025
The witchy gothic nature of their song captures the haunted, unnerving quality of Emily Brontë’s novel.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Israeli forces struck Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, unnerving a White House that feared the bombing campaign would derail its efforts at diplomacy.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Not all horror stories rely on jump scares and violent spectacle; some unearth their horrors from unnerving philosophical considerations.
—Big Think, 14 Oct. 2025
Nonetheless, Lloyd's production is handsomely realized, with striking silhouetttes courtesy of Jon Clark and unnerving sound design by Ben and Max Ringham, who add a low whirr of dread to the existential fable.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
The rest of the rehearsal was only more unnerving.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Particularly in the era of LLM chatbots, which will flatter us and every one of our thoughts in conversation, self-inflicting this type of harsh criticism upon ourselves and our cherished ideas may seem especially unnerving.
—Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
When those same renters feel unsafe going to work, the upshot is a crisis unfolding indoors — one that's less visible than arrests and detentions on the streets, but still deeply unnerving.
—CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
The Seattle Seahawks’ postgame celebration at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night was unnerving.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
Jorge Gomez, a recent retiree who has lived in the area for about 10 years, said the news was unnerving.
—New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
In addition to helping quell fear, the songs were unnerving to authorities trying to maintain segregation.
—David W. Stowe, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
Alas, the artistic conduit that Pari creates for her fears is a two-way street, and the film’s most unnerving scene, shot in a menacing slow zoom, observes in horror as a friendly post-show conversation sours into the stuff of a direct threat.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2026
The size of the debt is difficult to comprehend and also unnerving, even to many who are used to very large numbers.
—Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
Most pages exude that unnerving queasiness which results from seeing a worrying lack of paragraph breaks in the foreseeable near future.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
The videos shared by robot builder and researcher Logan Olson from October show the training exercise that enables a humanoid unit to suddenly drop to all fours and crawl at an unnerving speed and with unnerving flexibility.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
Especially unnerving this year for hoteliers was a far less robust summer than normal, so much so that nightly rates for the hotel group fell by as much as 10%, depending on the day of the week, Gleason said.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
Immigration crackdowns are unnerving a part of the population.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025
The witchy gothic nature of their song captures the haunted, unnerving quality of Emily Brontë’s novel.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Israeli forces struck Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, unnerving a White House that feared the bombing campaign would derail its efforts at diplomacy.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Not all horror stories rely on jump scares and violent spectacle; some unearth their horrors from unnerving philosophical considerations.
—Big Think, 14 Oct. 2025
Nonetheless, Lloyd's production is handsomely realized, with striking silhouetttes courtesy of Jon Clark and unnerving sound design by Ben and Max Ringham, who add a low whirr of dread to the existential fable.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerving
Adjective
-
Nell Tiger Free stars as a young novice who works at a Catholic orphanage plagued by mysterious, disturbing circumstances.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Feb. 2026
-
In an initial statement Wednesday, Blalock said the video is disturbing and the parents and families of these students should be embarrassed.—
Allie Hennard,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Analysts say the result could mean more stability for modern day Thailand, which has had three prime ministers in as many years and a 20-year cycle of military coups, violent street protests and paralyzing political instability.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Because of the paralyzing fear caused by their operation, small businesses whose customer bases and workforces include immigrant community members temporarily closed due to the sharp drop in customers and fear that their businesses would be subject to CBP raids.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The organization’s rebuild has centered on evaluation through competition, not avoidance of it, and a league-wide move toward discouraging manipulation would make that philosophy less of an outlier.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
20 Feb. 2026
-
But the venue was not the issue, as host Ego Nwodim was forced to deliver some disappointing monologues, several key guests were absent, and the lack of buzz overall was discouraging.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Though the private military firm has been credited with helping security forces get into neighborhoods and recently blew up the home of one of the country’s most notorious warlords, the presence of mercenaries operating in Haiti continues to make some lawmakers uneasy.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
-
As the pair struggles to survive the brutal Canadian backcountry, an uneasy bond forms.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
-
But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Mack and the Chargers’ defense pressured quarterbacks Jalen Hurts of the Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, frustrating them and keeping them out of their comfort zones.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
20 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Still, that didn’t make the lore of Savannah any less bizarre, unsettling and riveting.—
Adam Kuehl,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
But Duvall works on a different frequency, making the corporate machinery of the network feel even more unsettling than the chaos on camera.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Like the strung-up coyotes, the Ghoul typically looks normal from afar but terrifying up close.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
-
That’s terrifying on a whole different level.—
Will Harris,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unnerving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerving. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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