TROUBLING Synonyms: 154 Similar and Opposite Words

troubling 1 of 2

adjective

ˈtrə-b(ə-)liŋ

Definition of troubling

as in disturbing

causing worry or anxiety the most troubling sign of all is that he's stopped returning my phone calls

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

troubling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of trouble

as in worrying

to experience concern or anxiety don't trouble about me—I'll be fine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in weighing

to cause discomfort to or trouble for I hate to trouble you, but would you mind moving for a minute so I can sweep under your chair?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 troubling

Adjective

Pierre said the remarks were particularly troubling because Jackson had previously run for public office and believed the councilwoman was unfairly attacking her reputation. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 Economists say that the most troubling recent price hikes have been those for diesel. — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026

Verb

This question of what happened to fishes immediately after the age of the dinosaurs kept troubling me. — Sanaa El-Sayed, The Conversation, 4 June 2026 My mother’s rheumatism was troubling her, and Betsy stayed home to keep her company. — Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for troubling

Recent Examples of Synonyms for troubling

Adjective

Even when the metaphor is painfully on the nose, the film’s most disturbing images are more than their dramatic limitations and a whale is still an astonishing place to spend a movie.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
When her aunt Helena and paralyzed grandmother Regina arrive, the fragile boundaries between everyday life, ancestral superstition and Trina’s increasingly disturbing nightmares begin to collapse.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of disturbing

Verb

With resurgent inflation and traders weighing the Fed's next move, any signal on the rate path could ripple through the equities, bond and currency markets.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
For someone weighing a move, uncertainty raises the stakes, and a longer list of openings offers little reassurance that the next job will be a better match.

— Owen Humphries, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of weighing

Adjective

The mystery comedy, loosely inspired by the 1989 film starring Tom Hanks, follows a married couple whose move into the husband's childhood home exposes unsettling secrets in their seemingly quiet suburban neighborhood.

— Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Liminal Yellow can read as warm or slightly unsettling, WGSN says, depending on how it is styled.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of unsettling

Verb

His work is autobiographical and based on whatever has been bothering him that year.

— Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
For example, companies that benefit from customers not bothering to cancel subscriptions, compare prices, or search for better deals have taken a beating in recent weeks.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of bothering

Adjective

There is nothing more frightening than when the familiar starts acting strange, in movies or in life.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
And with Halloween nearly upon us, the question of what frightening, shocking, silly, classic, or demonically camp movies to press play on again (and again) has never been more pertinent.

— Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of frightening

Verb

Chatfield asked the Los Angeles Times in 1997 in response to criticism from community members and some local officials who pegged his nonprofit as inconveniencing residents by helping homeless people.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
The government said Khan’s supporters had begun gathering outside the private hospital in violation of the court order, which required them to stay away from the medical facility to avoid inconveniencing other patients.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of inconveniencing

Browse Nearby Words

troublesome

troubling

troublous

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Style

“Troubling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troubling. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of troubling

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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