troubling
adjective
trou·bling
ˈtrə-b(ə-)liŋ 
: causing feelings of worry or anxiety
a troubling news report
It's not just trauma survivors who may be distracted or derailed by shocking or troubling material …—
Angus Johnston
Angus Johnston
troublingly
adverb
Synonyms
Examples of troubling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But more than 120,000 Republican primary voters chose someone else over the former president — a potentially troubling figure in a state where the last two presidential elections were decided by just over 20,000 votes.
—Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
South Africa’s support for the Palestinian cause is the culmination of a confused and increasingly troubling diplomatic trend for a country with whom the U.S. now questions its bilateral cooperation, critics have claimed.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 6 Apr. 2024
Perhaps what’s most troubling here is the rise of zero-sum thinking with regard to gender.
—Richard V. Reeves, TIME, 6 Apr. 2024
How the justice is administered is dubious and troubling.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
That the organization that would help destroy slavery grew from such ugly roots is a useful reminder that these young Wide Awakes were neither heroes nor villains but a fascinating and troubling mix.
—Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
The impracticalities of facilitating voting there are clear, but the optics of going ahead with a national poll regardless would also be deeply troubling to many.
—Andrew Carey, Olga Voitovych, and Svitlana Vlasova, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
But such differences are troubling to many involved in the juvenile system.
—Callie Ferguson Ashley L. Conti, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
According to Ohio law, the state can place school systems with troubling forecasts on fiscal caution, fiscal watch and fiscal emergency depending on several factors.
—The Enquirer, 25 Mar. 2024
Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
South Africa’s support for the Palestinian cause is the culmination of a confused and increasingly troubling diplomatic trend for a country with whom the U.S. now questions its bilateral cooperation, critics have claimed.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 6 Apr. 2024
Perhaps what’s most troubling here is the rise of zero-sum thinking with regard to gender.
—Richard V. Reeves, TIME, 6 Apr. 2024
How the justice is administered is dubious and troubling.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
That the organization that would help destroy slavery grew from such ugly roots is a useful reminder that these young Wide Awakes were neither heroes nor villains but a fascinating and troubling mix.
—Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
The impracticalities of facilitating voting there are clear, but the optics of going ahead with a national poll regardless would also be deeply troubling to many.
—Andrew Carey, Olga Voitovych, and Svitlana Vlasova, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
But such differences are troubling to many involved in the juvenile system.
—Callie Ferguson Ashley L. Conti, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
According to Ohio law, the state can place school systems with troubling forecasts on fiscal caution, fiscal watch and fiscal emergency depending on several factors.
—The Enquirer, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'troubling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Troubling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/troubling. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
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