unrest

noun

un·​rest ˌən-ˈrest How to pronounce unrest (audio)
Synonyms of unrest
: a disturbed, uneasy, or turbulent state : turmoil
The country has experienced years of civil/social/political unrest.

Synonyms of unrest

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of unrest in a Sentence

The country has experienced years of civil unrest. unrest gripped the city as the people nervously awaited the expected bombardment
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
After two days when admission was by invitation only, Art Basel Paris opened to the public Friday -- but only for the day, with the threat of unrest prompting organizers to cancel the weekend program. — Elitsa Gadeva, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026 Ibrahim Ezzat | Anadolu | Getty Images Moody’s opted to maintain its credit rating on France as the country contended with a week of civil unrest and rising political risk. — Darla Mercado, Cfp®,jeff Cox, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 After two days when admission was by invitation only, Art Basel Paris opened to the public Friday — but only for the day, with the threat of unrest prompting organizers to cancel the weekend program. — Elitsa Gadeva, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Geopolitical unrest, rising costs and trade wars have tested the denim industry’s commitment to innovation. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unrest

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unrest was in the 14th century

Rhymes for unrest

See All Rhymes for unrest

Browse Nearby Words

unresponsive
unrest
unrested
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unrest. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

unrest

noun
un·​rest ˌən-ˈrest How to pronounce unrest (audio)
ˈən-
: lack of rest : a disturbed or uneasy state : turmoil
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All