as in disturbing
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
the unnerving news of yet another murder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
Played by the versatile Domhnall Gleeson, in a performance that couldn’t be more different from his memorably unnerving turns in The Patient and Black Mirror, incoming Truth-Teller editor-in-chief Ned Sampson has a sort of aw-shucks, pre-Ozark-Jason-Bateman vibe.
—Judy Berman, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
The 1960 movie — powered by Bernard Herrmann's chilling score, Anthony Perkins' unnerving portrayal of hotel manager Norman Bates (for the movie, much younger than the character in Bloch's novel) and Hitchcock's uncanny showmanship — revolutionized the horror genre.
—Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Taking creative risks in your social sphere can feel unnerving.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
The files show that faculty swapped stories about Kohberger and debated pulling his funding and TA position, citing unnerving classroom conduct.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
Chronic headaches are an unnerving and often debilitating condition experienced by more than a billion people worldwide.
—Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2025
That may not sound like a virtue, but in a world where horror comes either overloaded with metaphor or reduced to bloody piffle, Cregger valiantly navigates an unnerving middle way.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
The sustained eye contact is unnerving.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
These models often fabricate facts, citations or statistics with unnerving confidence.
—Sagar Gupta, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
In the weeks before she was murdered, Goncalves recounted a series of unnerving events to Mortensen and a second surviving housemate, according to a police report released last month.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 18 Aug. 2025
Dealt with unnerving subtlety, the final blow is one of Scorsese’s most devastating character executions.
—Elle Carroll, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Chinese police blocked sensitive news, pinpointing dissidents with unnerving precision.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
Played by the versatile Domhnall Gleeson, in a performance that couldn’t be more different from his memorably unnerving turns in The Patient and Black Mirror, incoming Truth-Teller editor-in-chief Ned Sampson has a sort of aw-shucks, pre-Ozark-Jason-Bateman vibe.
—Judy Berman, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
The 1960 movie — powered by Bernard Herrmann's chilling score, Anthony Perkins' unnerving portrayal of hotel manager Norman Bates (for the movie, much younger than the character in Bloch's novel) and Hitchcock's uncanny showmanship — revolutionized the horror genre.
—Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Taking creative risks in your social sphere can feel unnerving.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
The files show that faculty swapped stories about Kohberger and debated pulling his funding and TA position, citing unnerving classroom conduct.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
Chronic headaches are an unnerving and often debilitating condition experienced by more than a billion people worldwide.
—Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2025
That may not sound like a virtue, but in a world where horror comes either overloaded with metaphor or reduced to bloody piffle, Cregger valiantly navigates an unnerving middle way.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
The sustained eye contact is unnerving.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Verb
Incompetence has a way of unnerving its witnesses.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
These models often fabricate facts, citations or statistics with unnerving confidence.
—Sagar Gupta, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
In the weeks before she was murdered, Goncalves recounted a series of unnerving events to Mortensen and a second surviving housemate, according to a police report released last month.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 18 Aug. 2025
Dealt with unnerving subtlety, the final blow is one of Scorsese’s most devastating character executions.
—Elle Carroll, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerving
Adjective
-
Fortunately, there are straightforward ways to reduce your chances of being confronted with violent or disturbing videos.—
Annie Margaret,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Celebrating the assassination of a 31 year old father of two young kids is disturbing; that teachers would be among those who do so is completely unacceptable.—
Amy DeLaura,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Doctors spent several minutes resuscitating Luka before making the difficult decision to use a paralyzing agent to stop him from moving and potentially hurting himself.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Without these supports, free-will can feel utterly paralyzing.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As far as Young goes, the Week 1 performance was discouraging.—
Mike Kaye
September 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Speaker Johnson is giving the high ground to the Democrats by discouraging Thomas Massie's petition.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Handing spending power to a piece of software makes people uneasy.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
An uneasy calm, after two nights of chaos that saw tens of thousands of people pour out into the streets to vent their fury, setting fire to parliament and the Supreme Court – key symbols of state – and clashing with the government forces sent to keep them under control.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Instances of swatting have been plaguing the nation for years, with fake shooting threats frightening the public and forcing schools, hospitals, grocery stores, office buildings, and airports into temporary lockdowns.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This may be subtle but often unsettling in nature.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
For a story that could be this dark, what a gift to be able to recount some of these things, but with a tone that doesn’t need to be wildly investigative and uncomfortable and unsettling.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
On the same day, 100 cyclists, e-bike and dirt bike riders took over a Boston highway, terrifying local drivers.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The tonal whiplash you experience at that point, the sense that Barbarian can be genuinely terrifying one moment and weirdly funny the next, is what transformed the film into a cult hit.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Following a tense summit in July hosted by Beijing, European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said that leaders had agreed to an improved mechanism for Chinese exports of rare earth minerals to the bloc.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
17 Sep. 2025
-
After an announcement trailer back in May, many were wondering whether this tense first-person action-horror game would disembark on the current-gen Xbox consoles as well.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unnerving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerving. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share