unsettles

verb

present tense third-person singular of unsettle
as in disturbs
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy the news that the local grocery store had sold contaminated produce unsettled many shoppers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 unsettles Spry said the attacker could have targeted any neighborhood residents — a thought that still unsettles her, given how easily the situation could have escalated. — Doha Madani, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026 That is precisely the capability that unsettles underwriters, because an agent that can decide is an agent that can decide wrongly, and fast. — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026 But Hyd unsettles this arrangement with their deadpan affect, playing the part of a mourning truth-seeker trying to live in the moment. — H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 2 June 2026 Her healing skills soon prove invaluable, but her wild, curious nature unsettles the monks as an evil count threatens to destroy anyone who dares protect her. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 19 May 2026 His decision to pull out of the house sales upends an entire property chain, as his manipulative nature unsettles those around him. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 May 2026 After a chance encounter with a group of influencers in their twenties who are passing through town, Ernie invites them into his home – a decision that unsettles the fragile world he’s spent years trying to exist within. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 May 2026 An unexpected visitor at the ER later unsettles both patients and staff. — Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 That’s because Texas terrorizes people from start to finish with its tenacious, arm-waving, in-your-face defense that completely unsettles opponents and takes them out of their offense. — Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsettles
  1. disturbs
  2. bothers
  3. distracts
  4. worries
  5. concerns
  6. alarms
  7. angers
  8. agitates
Verb
  • Tilling or plowing in the summer disturbs the soil's delicate ecosystem and exposes moist soil to rapid water loss.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 24 June 2026
  • The pier in Michigan City’s Washington Park disturbs the natural flow of sand along the lakeshore, creating new land east of the pier but starving beaches to the west, an erosion problem repeated by other manmade structures that jut out into Lake Michigan.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
Definition of disturbs
Verb
  • That sequencing bothers people who’ve spent careers being told that data systems need privacy protections designed in, not bolted on after a scandal.
    — Karl W. Bickel, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Kurt's key takeaways What bothers me most about this scam is that criminals are going after people who may have the fewest options to protect themselves.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of bothers
Verb
  • There’s the studio version, which has some really interesting production, with Meg’s shuddering percussion that eventually grates and distracts, and Jack’s very chunky guitar.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Outer Banks’ success has always rested on an emotional depth that distracts from nonsense plot points and over-the-top escapades.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of distracts
Verb
  • The second is no small consideration in a system where sponsors are sued with some regularity, and Cerulli reports that worries about fees and litigation have slowed sponsors from changing their target-date arrangements at all.
    — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Red velvet cake, but no happy surprises Cristi McGarey’s family often worries about the impact of what has felt like an unending deployment on her 22-year-old son.
    — Chris Quintana, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of worries
Verb
  • Urgent Matter reports that the dispute concerns a preservation easement on the nineteen-story building, Frank Lloyd Wright‘s only skyscraper, completed in 1956, and located forty-five miles north of Tulsa.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The three-level promoter structure applies regardless of whether the change concerns a new product, new service, or internal process innovation.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of concerns
Verb
  • That prospect alarms those in Europe, who fear FIFA could increasingly challenge their competitions for space on an already overcrowded calendar.
    — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • He becomes increasingly consumed by the otherworldly dimension, which alarms his therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve).
    — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026
Definition of alarms
Verb
  • The receptionist angers Kripke and Bert so much that they are picked up by the police — along with Stuart, who had also been arrested.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • According to the myth, Agamemnon angers the goddess Artemis by killing one of her sacred deer.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2026
Definition of angers
Verb
  • The machine dryer agitates the clothing and prevents fibers from stiffening during drying, which is why clothing comes out feeling soft.
    — Emily Benda Gaylord, The Spruce, 23 Feb. 2026
  • This agitates me and my lead foot.
    — Matt Fuchs, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
Definition of agitates

Browse Nearby Words

unsettlements
unsettles
unsettling
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Cite this Entry

“Unsettles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsettles. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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