as in to disturb
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
the news that the local grocery store had sold contaminated produce unsettled many shoppers
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Recent Examples of unsettle
The shift in gravity unsettled some people, heightening their anxiety about random and unrelated incidents.
—
Karen Hao, Wired News, 21 May 2025
Trump’s firing of the acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has unsettled Republican senators who view FEMA’s work as valuable in states during natural disasters.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 16 May 2025
Trading at lofty valuations, even a slight miss on the revenue forecast was enough to unsettle investors.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Today, movies and TV intended for the biggest audience possible often water down their storytelling and generalize in order to avoid anything that might challenge, frighten or unsettle the audience.
—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsettle
Karen Hao, Wired News, 21 May 2025
Trump’s firing of the acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has unsettled Republican senators who view FEMA’s work as valuable in states during natural disasters.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 16 May 2025
Trading at lofty valuations, even a slight miss on the revenue forecast was enough to unsettle investors.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Today, movies and TV intended for the biggest audience possible often water down their storytelling and generalize in order to avoid anything that might challenge, frighten or unsettle the audience.
—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsettle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsettle
Verb
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Hammond, not wanting the dinosaurs disturbed, sends behavioral paleontologist Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) to Isla Sorna, where the dinosaurs have been living without human interference.—
Will Harris,
EW.com,
27 June 2025
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The Heisenberg uncertainty principle teaches us that observation disturbs the observed.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Shepherding that split to reality will leave WBD leadership distracted for a year, Martin estimated.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
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Cho, as the perceptive and generous Jin, distracted from his own family troubles by the sudden flashes of Casey’s bright light, is wise and rejuvenated; disinterested admiration makes this man, who looks to be in his forties, nearly a teen-ager again.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Also on this episode: With Emmy nomination voting ending on Monday, the Roundtable takes one more look at the major categories, how the number of submissions has changed some of the competition and who didn’t bother to join in.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
20 June 2025
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Orban said in February that organisers should not even bother organizing Pride in Budapest this year.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
19 June 2025
Verb
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The man, wearing a black polo and slacks, looked up from a table saw, alarmed.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
21 June 2025
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The potential downside of glucose monitoring is that people who are (perhaps needlessly) alarmed by their CGM data will swap out healthy carbs such as fruit and whole grains for foods that are less healthy—butter, for example, or bacon and red meat.—
Olga Khazan,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Concerns about student overuse and misuse are still prevalent: About half of teachers worry that student use of AI will decrease teens’ ability to think critically and independently or to have persistence when problem solving, according to the study.—
Jocelyn Gecker,
Fortune,
25 June 2025
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After studies had linked chronic exposure to high levels of mercury found in fish and whale blubber to developmental delays, scientists began to worry about the element’s effects on the young brain.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
25 June 2025
Verb
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As far as disputes are concerned, the technology that has increasingly been used to intercede is blockchain.—
Saro McKenna,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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But there is often a tradeoff between civil liberties and crime prevention and, where minors are concerned, protection must come first.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
20 June 2025
Verb
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As soon as Musk and Trump began bashing one another in earnest on Thursday, the GOP base immediately started agitating in three big directions.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
6 June 2025
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The kid is flunking out of private school, has spearheaded a dozen or more extracurricular clubs, agitates to have Latin added to the curriculum, and directs a remarkably detailed stage production of Serpico.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsettle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsettle. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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