UNSETTLING Synonyms: 155 Similar and Opposite Words

unsettling 1 of 2

adjective

ˌən-ˈset-liŋ

Definition of unsettling

as in disturbing

causing worry or anxiety unsettling new developments in the effort to bring peace and stability to that region

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in uneasy

marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings had the unsettling task of picking out a coffin and making the other funeral arrangements for his father

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

unsettling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of unsettle

as in alarming

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy the news that the local grocery store had sold contaminated produce unsettled many shoppers

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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 unsettling

Adjective

Axel Bertha’s stark debut explores humanity’s oldest struggle against forces beyond its control, building toward an unsettling outcome that suggests some conflicts are as old as civilization itself. — Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026 But while the technical ambition is evident, the storytelling rarely matches it … even Chastain’s considerable talents can only do so much with material that doesn’t offer her character enough depth beyond her unsettling appearance. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

Verb

The paper shared the accounts of three women who had dated Platner within the past fifteen years and had found his behavior unsettling. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 7 July 2026 However unsettling these jactitations appear, the open world remains the happiest and freest place to live. — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for unsettling

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsettling

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

But the idea that fine adaptations of great books need to be stopping points, rather than springboards, is alarming by itself.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
There are signs that the President is unravelling, in ways that are different from late-period Joe Biden but are alarming all the same.

— David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of alarming

Adjective

More troubling still is that their grasp on time, then their very consciousness, begins to break down.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
The worst security failure in the country’s history raised troubling questions about whether the financial lifeline helped to sustain Hamas’s grip on power and, in turn, enabled it to carry out the assault.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of troubling

Adjective

Kushner has defended his private sector connections as having enabled the United States to gain leverage and breakthroughs in tense negotiations.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge, played by Rory Kinnear, reveals the news to Hal Wyler, Vice President of the United States, played by Rufus Sewell, in a rather tense meeting in London.

— Peter White, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of tense

Verb

Today’s computers are approachable, but also distracting, argues Caligra co-founder and CEO Grant Bisset.

— Daniel Varghese, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Maybe his conning can be curtailed someday, but the thought there’d ever be enough distracting chaos for a similarly lengthy follow-up is almost too much to bear.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of distracting

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

Adjective

There’s also reassuring initial bite at the top of the travel, yet the setup doesn’t feel grabby or overly anxious in everyday driving situations.

— Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
Gong’s collection followed the emotional arc of unrequited love, from the first spark and the anxious wait to the social-media sleuthing, a date, and the sudden disappearance that follows.

— Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of anxious

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unsettles

unsettling

unsettlingly

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

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Synonyms of unsettling

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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