UNSETTLES Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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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

Verb

Some of the sightings claim a man wearing clothing typical of the 17th or 18th centuries, a man dressed in Confederate attire in the liquor room, a ghost of a former worker Joseph Hardesty and a female who actively disturbs visitors to her home.

— Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
Vibration disturbs the natural sediments in wine, flattening the flavor and aging it prematurely.

— Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of disturbs

Verb

This is why the sameness creeping into corporate communications right now bothers me more than the question of whether AI can write a good press release.

— Amanda Simonian, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Kurt's key takeaways What bothers me most about DoppelCart is how convincing these fake stores can look.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of bothers

Verb

Often, undercapitalization is a major challenge for new franchisees and distracts from operations.

— Angelo Chavez, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Scientists now are spending an increasing amount of time worrying about keeping the lights on and people employed, which ultimately distracts from time spent doing research.

— Abdullah Shihipar, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of distracts

Verb

Wilner-Deering worries that the attention paid to Epstein’s associates has crowded out what survivors have said happened to them.

— Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
The Iranian regime also worries that its favorable position will not last forever.

— Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of worries

Verb

Emirati prosecutors opened an investigation after a co-pilot stabbed his captain mid-flight, asserting jurisdiction over a crime that also concerns Saudi Arabia and Israel.

— Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Arguably the most important question in percolation theory concerns the transition from a system with only finite clusters to one with infinite clusters.

— Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 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

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unsettlements

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“Unsettles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsettles. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unsettles

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