as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety
the constant arguing is upsetting to a sensitive person like your grandmother
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in alarming
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
the smallest things can upset us if we're already stressed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in overturning
to turn on one's side or upside down
the narrow boat upsets easily and should be handled with care
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disrupting
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
the change in the bus schedule upset our daily routine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of upsetting
Steve Inskeep, NPR, 23 Apr. 2025
In November 2024, things took another upsetting turn.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Allison Morrow, CNN, 4 Dec. 2024
Ranked in the preseason Top 25, the Jayhawks limped to a 2-6 start before upsetting 7-1 Iowa State.
—Stewart Mandel, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for upsetting
Adjective
How upsetting is this to people who are national security professionals?
—Steve Inskeep, NPR, 23 Apr. 2025
In November 2024, things took another upsetting turn.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
Failing to do so risks upsetting a leader with a short fuse and the power to sink a company’s stock or ignite a boycott with a single social media post.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 4 Dec. 2024
Ranked in the preseason Top 25, the Jayhawks limped to a 2-6 start before upsetting 7-1 Iowa State.
—Stewart Mandel, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for upsetting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upsetting
Adjective
-
Proponents have long invoked civil rights language to promote vouchers, a disturbing rhetorical choice given vouchers originated as a tool for southern white parents to avoid the Supreme Court's desegregation order in Brown v. Board of Education.—
Kevin Sabet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
-
Actress Isabella Rossellini reflects on the film’s disturbing material and autobiographical elements while resisting reductive interpretations.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2025
Verb
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Robertson had a good sequence throwing a big hit on Gage Goncalves and disrupting his shot attempt seconds later.—
Omar White,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Artificial intelligence is already disrupting numerous sectors across society.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
One of the most unsettling moments at UFC 315 occurred when Bruno Silva left the Octagon after suffering a knockout loss to Marc-Andre Barriault on the early prelims of the fight card.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
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His Emilio is the protagonist and, although all the characters are given a shot at Death, Jacobs as Emilio is the most unsettling.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
15 May 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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That historical tension—between the promise of scientific freedom and the peril of political control—may now be resurfacing in troubling ways.—
Alondra Nelson,
Time,
13 May 2025
-
Even beyond the legal angle, this chaotic tariff regime reveals something more troubling: a total absence of strategic thinking.—
Aron Solomon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 May 2025
Verb
-
Rodin Cars The big idea behind Rodin is to build cars without bothering about vehicle regulations – in stark contrast to F1 cars, which are subject to several rules around how they're put together.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Jan. 2025
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The city and state have also been ramping up efforts to engage troubled vagrants sleeping and sometimes bothering straphangers, connecting them with services and shelter and potentially involuntary treatment.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
27 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
This pre-dates the casual fashions that would take hold during the 1960s, eventually collapsing traditional dressiness by the 1970s, making Sumbariners and GMT Masters the thing to wear.—
Allen Farmelo,
Robb Report,
26 Dec. 2024
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Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse On March 26, a container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, collapsing the bridge and killing six construction workers who were filling potholes on the span.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
26 Dec. 2024
Verb
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But the $12 billion decline in his fortune has more to do with asset shuffling than stock price movement.—
Julie Goldenberg,
Forbes,
21 Dec. 2024
-
James has been shuffling back and forth between the NBA and the G League.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
19 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Upsetting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upsetting. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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