disturbed

adjective

dis·​turbed di-ˈstərbd 

1

: experiencing or exhibiting emotional disturbance or agitation : having a mental disability or illness

… the San Francisco police department, for example, handles 18,000 calls involving emotionally disturbed citizens every year.

—Newsweek

2

a

: characterized or affected by interference, alteration, or disruption

restoration of disturbed habitats

disturbed sleep

b

: departing or deviating from a normal condition : marked by impairment

disturbed glucose metabolism

a disturbed gait

Example Sentences

He seems very disturbed about his work lately.

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s because there’s just enough disturbed forest left for adaptable species like bats to survive. —Irena Hwang, ProPublica, 27 Feb. 2023

But when Dre’s sister and fellow fan Marissa (Chloe Bailey) begins to pull back, Dre’s relationship with the concept of Ni’Jah starts to shift, and Swarm’s new trailer spotlights just how grisly the disturbed fan’s psychological transformation is. —Charles Pulliam-moore, The Verge, 24 Feb. 2023

Coly and Rama are both student intellectuals, experiencing European opportunities while feeling incomplete and disturbed. —Armond White, National Review, 20 Jan. 2023

Friday’s attack, now believed to be an isolated incident by a disturbed man, came just weeks after the outermost layer of fencing was removed and the military’s footprint was reduced at the Capitol. —BostonGlobe.com, 4 Apr. 2021

The hurricane center was also watching an area of disturbed weather near Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. —Leigh Morgan, al, 2 Nov. 2022

An unstable blood pressure is just as harmful as disturbed sugar levels. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2020

Others were very disturbed and would wander all night unless they were put into restraints. —Pamela Weintraub, Discover Magazine, 30 May 2012

The Waste Land was written by a very disturbed man, a fastidious man possessed by visions of squalor, a man unable to distinguish the fall of civilization from the fall of his own psyche. —James Parker, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Kids Definition

disturbed

adjective

dis·​turbed

dis-ˈtərbd

: showing signs of mental or emotional illness

Medical Definition

disturbed

adjective

dis·​turbed dis-ˈtərbd 

1

: experiencing or exhibiting emotional disturbance or agitation : having a mental disability or illness

Emotionally disturbed students over a long period of time and to a marked degree exhibit such characteristics as a general pervasive mood of depression, a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems or an inability to learn.

—Rodney Tanaka, San Gabriel Valley (California) Tribune

2

a

: characterized or affected by alteration or disruption

disturbed sleep

b

: departing or deviating from a normal condition : marked by impairment

disturbed glucose metabolism

a disturbed gait