ˌən-ˈset-liŋ
1
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
2
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsettling
Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 16 July 2025
Saturated reds and yellows can be too energizing, adding an unsettling air to your dinner party and subconsciously encouraging guests to get up and leave.
—Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 July 2025
Recent research reveals an unsettling reality: Despite widespread awareness of the risks, teens and phone use while driving remains a persistent and deadly problem.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 July 2025
Popping up twice in an hour to the bathroom is bad enough, but it was made worse by the possibility that Thurber, ignorant of anything but the unsettling swish of the door, would address some remark to me in my absence.
—John Updike, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsettling
Adjective
For many women in midlife, heart palpitations can be an unsettling but familiar part of the menopause transition.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 16 July 2025
Saturated reds and yellows can be too energizing, adding an unsettling air to your dinner party and subconsciously encouraging guests to get up and leave.
—Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 July 2025
Recent research reveals an unsettling reality: Despite widespread awareness of the risks, teens and phone use while driving remains a persistent and deadly problem.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 July 2025
Popping up twice in an hour to the bathroom is bad enough, but it was made worse by the possibility that Thurber, ignorant of anything but the unsettling swish of the door, would address some remark to me in my absence.
—John Updike, New Yorker, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsettling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsettling
Adjective
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This is a disturbing statistic and speaks to an increase in the total number of people defacing themselves, but also a rise in the amount of ink per person.—
Scott Liftman,
Boston Herald,
25 July 2025
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The board of the Regional Transportation Authority met Friday to discuss ways to respond to the cut, striking a note of optimism to counter the disturbing prediction for Tri-Rail’s future.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Pico’s other headsets are not sold in North America and ByteDance and the Trump administration have an uneasy relationship at best.—
Chris Morris,
Fortune,
15 July 2025
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The carpenters’ stance has created a split in the labor movement that makes lawmakers uneasy and sometimes spills into public view.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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While Mamdani may have intended to express respect to a religious community, his comments signal troubling deference to powerful interests that have long resisted even the most basic educational standards in Hasidic yeshivas.—
Adina Mermelstein Konikoff,
New York Daily News,
22 July 2025
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In a post shared on Facebook by Caribbean Guard, a volunteer lifeguard organization in Costa Rica, the group described attempts made to save the 54-year-old from the troubling waters.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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Trump's trade deals with many countries—perhaps most notably China and the European Union—remain in tense negotiations, each one potentially affecting their manufacturing costs.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
22 July 2025
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One client shared how a simple practice of pausing to name their emotion before responding in a tense board meeting helped de-escalate conflict and steer the conversation toward collaboration.—
Maureen Metcalf,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
Occupying and distracting the mind.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
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While most of the acting is wonderful (Wyle is predictably great, but so is just about all of the main cast), some patient-of-the-week players err towards distracting histrionics.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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One of the most effectively frightening gags in the movie is little more than an actor in ghoulish makeup tunneling under a bedsheet.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
31 July 2025
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And frightening, even to the leaders around Xi Jinping in Beijing.—
Kerry Brown,
Time,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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This is their first major sit-down interview together, and both are a bit anxious.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
23 July 2025
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With Iran and its proxies diminished and Gulf states anxious to diversify their economies, any prospect for broader peace and normalization runs through Riyadh.—
Edward Felsenthal,
Time,
23 July 2025
Verb
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Overweight and obesity need to be treated safely and effectively to avoid that worrying forecast.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 Dec. 2024
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Bitcoin has dropping back from its all-time high of over $100,000 in the last week as BlackRock quietly confirmed a worrying bitcoin bombshell.—
Billy Bambrough,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Unsettling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsettling. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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