unsettle

verb

un·​set·​tle ˌən-ˈse-tᵊl 

unsettled; unsettling; unsettles

transitive verb

1

: to loosen or move from a settled state or condition : make unstable : disorder

2

: to perturb or agitate mentally or emotionally : discompose

intransitive verb

: to become unsettled

Synonyms

• agitate
• ail
• alarm
• alarum
• bother
• concern
• derail
• discomfort
• discompose
• dismay
• disquiet
• distemper
• distract
• distress
• disturb
• exercise
• flurry
• frazzle
• freak (out)
• fuss
• hagride
• perturb
• undo
• unhinge
• upset
• weird out
• worry

Examples of unsettle in a Sentence

Such a sudden change will unsettle her.

the news that the local grocery store had sold contaminated produce unsettled many shoppers

Recent Examples on the Web

At The Washington Post, the home of Woodward and Bernstein, some of Mr. Lewis’s behavior has unsettled the newsroom. —Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 8 June 2024

That unsettled him because he was used to the little cramped space. —Stuart Spielman and Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 22 May 2024

Hansen was unsettled when toxicology reports indicated why: Mother rats seemed to be offloading the chemical to their pups. —Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 20 May 2024

Season 2 will see the group reunite to solve another spate of unsettling crimes. —K.j. Yossman, Variety, 21 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

unsettle

verb

un·​set·​tle ˌən-ˈset-ᵊl 

ˈən-

1

: to move or loosen from a settled state

2

: to make uneasy

change unsettles him