UNSETTLING Synonyms: 155 Similar and Opposite Words

unsettling 1 of 2

adjective

ˌən-ˈset-liŋ

Definition of unsettling

as in disturbing

causing worry or anxiety unsettling new developments in the effort to bring peace and stability to that region

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in uneasy

marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings had the unsettling task of picking out a coffin and making the other funeral arrangements for his father

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

unsettling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of unsettle

as in alarming

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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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 unsettling

Adjective

For Sutley, the destruction exposed something unsettling about the buildings engineers design. — Daniel Wolfe, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026 Implicit in this work is the unsettling notion that software programs are, or could become, conscious. — Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Oct. 2026

Verb

The paper shared the accounts of three women who had dated Platner within the past fifteen years and had found his behavior unsettling. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 7 July 2026 However unsettling these jactitations appear, the open world remains the happiest and freest place to live. — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for unsettling

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsettling

Adjective

One of the most disturbing reasons given was that the DOT will never install a speed reducer closer than a distance of 1,000 feet (nearly a quarter of a mile) from a speed camera.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Oct. 2026
Family members reported objects disappearing, beds lifting, unexplained odors, and other disturbing occurrences in the house.

— Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of disturbing

Adjective

But bond markets are already uneasy with Brazil's growing debt-to-GDP ratio, and are likely to demand an ever-higher premium if public spending rises significantly.

— Jenni Reid, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
The effort is backed by an uneasy alliance between the right-wing Make America Healthy Again movement and progressives, both motivated by concerns over food safety.

— Elijah Wolfson, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of uneasy

Verb

But the idea that fine adaptations of great books need to be stopping points, rather than springboards, is alarming by itself.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
There are signs that the President is unravelling, in ways that are different from late-period Joe Biden but are alarming all the same.

— David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of alarming

Adjective

One particularly troubling example comes from the Justice Department's case against Epsilon Data Management.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
From a troubling police restraint death in Elk Grove to a new food literacy TV show, Sacramento made plenty of headlines recently.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of troubling

Adjective

Although a tense urban peace has taken hold since then, many residents of Paris, Toulouse, Marseille and other cities beset by riots still feel under siege, much like Los Angeles after the 1992 riots.

— Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
The story opens with an incredibly tense first scene, with Jimmy Stewart’s Scottie chasing a suspect across rooftops in San Francisco.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of tense

Verb

As a result, your mind is always searching for the next project to tackle or problem to solve, distracting you while hanging out with family or keeping you from sleeping.

— Melody Wilding, Contributor, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
The compelling series achieves a provocative dissection of it all with rare confidence without the overindulgence of distracting CGI tossed in for sheer spectacle.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of distracting

Adjective

As the frightening phantom of Frank the Bunny warns, this parallel reality has a ticking clock that’ll result in its imminent collapse in just 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2026
For neighbors, the crash brought a frightening interruption to an otherwise routine afternoon.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of frightening

Adjective

The director general was attempting to lift the gloom after being beset with questions from anxious employees about job losses, service reductions, and general retrenchment.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2026
An anxious child Apart from her scribbled notes, scant details are available about Runa’s experience in detention, according to her lawyer Yoshihiro Mukai.

— Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of anxious

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unsettles

unsettling

unsettlingly

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Style

“Unsettling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsettling. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unsettling

adjective

verb

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