PERTURBED Synonyms: 159 Similar and Opposite Words

perturbed 1 of 2

adjective

pər-ˈtərbd

Definition of perturbed

as in worried

feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty a perturbed look betrayed her nervousness at her first job interview

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perturbed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of perturb

as in disturbed

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy the caller's strange remark perturbed me enough to keep me awake that night

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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 perturbed

Verb

Having a motivated and slightly perturbed Baker Mayfield won’t hurt. — The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Some people seemed perturbed to discover that Cheekface sound like, well, Cheekface. — Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 3 Aug. 2026 And Hinch was jeered again after Jones struck out, bookending the booing and showing Tigers fans are perturbed over the team’s downfall. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2026 Lobo appeared perturbed that the shop’s owner brought the claim to the Clark County District Attorney instead of filing a civil suit. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026 Trump’s executive order perturbed many in the architecture profession when it was issued last year. — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 12 June 2026 Some users were perturbed by Obuzic’s stories. — Heidi Blake, New Yorker, 8 June 2026 However, some users are perturbed by the new home screen. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026 Weston Richey, a 25-year-old Texan photographer with whom Kyra seemed to be perturbed, pulled her for a chat to try to figure out why she was annoyed with him. — Anna Peele, Vulture, 20 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for perturbed

Adjective

When Republican lawmakers secured cuts to the United States' largest food assistance program last year, Paige Shoemaker DeMio wasn't worried about children going hungry just at home — but at school.

— Juliana Kim, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
Mattfeld is excellent in what could easily have been a thankless role, playing Ricky with the mien of someone who is always holding it together, years of disappointment and condescension and expectation keeping her eyes worried and jaw tight.

— Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of worried

Verb

As a parent who has purchased my share of scary Halloween costumes, I was particularly disturbed by the controversy now engulfing Target.

— Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2026
If disturbed, asbestos’ microscopic crystalline fibers get into the air, where they can be inhaled, cause lung scarring and lead to fatal cancers.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of disturbed

Verb

California Forever has increasingly pitched the Solano Shipyard as part of a broader effort to rebuild the US maritime industry, a priority among both Democrats and Republicans alarmed over its decline.

— Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026
The world’s most powerful economies are increasingly alarmed by their declining birthrates, and there’s no shortage of theories on why.

— Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of alarmed

Adjective

The letter writer is almost 40 and nervous about living with a romantic partner for the first time.

— Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
That energy spike is reinforcing inflation worries in a bond market already nervous about America’s $40 trillion mountain of debt.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of nervous

Verb

The long seven-month offseason has been filled with congressional legislation, eligibility lawsuits, CFP expansion and plenty of other storylines that have distracted from the product on the field.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
You’re not distracted by the clients waiting behind you or the sense that someone is watching and waiting for your chair to open up.

— Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of distracted

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perturbation

perturbed

perturbing

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“Perturbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perturbed. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of perturbed

adjective

verb

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