upsetting 1 of 2

adjective

(ˌ)əp-ˈse-tiŋ How to pronounce upsetting (audio)
Definition of upsettingnext
as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety the constant arguing is upsetting to a sensitive person like your grandmother

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

upsetting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of upset
1
as in alarming
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy the smallest things can upset us if we're already stressed

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2
as in overturning
to turn on one's side or upside down the narrow boat upsets easily and should be handled with care

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3
as in disrupting
to undo the proper order or arrangement of the change in the bus schedule upset our daily routine

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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 upsetting
Adjective
Boutros did not dispute the allegations, saying the conduct was upsetting and the reason the case was being dismissed. — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 25 Sep. 2026 There’s so much premeditation and passion into doing that, and to actually play that with no music and just the sound and the banality of a lifeless body being hit by some blunt instrument is very viscerally upsetting. — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
The Wolverines can change the narrative by upsetting Oklahoma and avenging a 24-13 loss from last season. — Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 Northern Illinois fan Jay remembered when upsetting Notre Dame or reaching the Orange Bowl felt like an attainable dream. — Manny Navarro, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for upsetting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upsetting
  1. disturbing
  2. alarming
  3. overturning
  4. disrupting
  5. unsettling
  6. distracting
  7. capsizing
  8. confusing
Adjective
  • For Daughtry, who was dispatched to work the crash by his editor that day, the assignment was one of the most disturbing of his career.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
  • This disturbing contradiction suggests that different physical laws apply to the observer and the observed.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of disturbing
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
Verb
  • For instance, the measure would prevent courts from overturning approvals of qualifying projects because of CEQA violations.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Three previous attempts to evict the 87-year-old were denied by the courts, but in March, the Supreme Court ruled against her, overturning a January 2022 decision in her favor.
    — Adam England, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of overturning
Verb
  • Habits are usually paired with physical or emotional cues, and disrupting those cues can disrupt the habit.
    — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Eight years ago, protesters frequently drove coverage in their preferred direction by disrupting candidates (Movimiento Cosecha pushed Biden to endorse a deportation moratorium, for instance) and showing up to press them at Q&As.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of disrupting
Adjective
  • The mystery comedy, loosely inspired by the 1989 film starring Tom Hanks, follows a married couple whose move into the husband's childhood home exposes unsettling secrets in their seemingly quiet suburban neighborhood.
    — Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Liminal Yellow can read as warm or slightly unsettling, WGSN says, depending on how it is styled.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of unsettling
Verb
  • Today’s computers are approachable, but also distracting, argues Caligra co-founder and CEO Grant Bisset.
    — Daniel Varghese, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Maybe his conning can be curtailed someday, but the thought there’d ever be enough distracting chaos for a similarly lengthy follow-up is almost too much to bear.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of distracting
Verb
  • The rip currents and massive surf are capable of capsizing small boats, knocking people off jetties and pulling swimmers out to sea.
    — Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Prosecutors said Hernandez piloted the boat into a swell and had accelerated the throttle to try to pass through it until the swell swamped the bow of the boat, capsizing it immediately, a complaint alleged.
    — Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of capsizing
Verb
  • Bill Belichick has made a Hall of Fame career on confusing young quarterbacks.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The crowd even includes Sam, who has a fun moment catching up with Roy and confusing him with an observation that sounds like it was inspired by The Wizard of Oz.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of confusing

Browse Nearby Words

upsets
upsetting
upshot
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Cite this Entry

“Upsetting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upsetting. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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