unsettling

adjective

un·​set·​tling
ˌən-ˈset-liŋ, 
-ˈse-tᵊl-iŋ How to pronounce unsettling (audio)
Synonyms of unsettlingnext
: having the effect of upsetting, disturbing, or discomposing
unsettling images of the war
unsettlingly
ˌən-ˈset-liŋ-lē, 
-ˈse-tᵊl-iŋ- How to pronounce unsettling (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of unsettling

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of unsettling in a Sentence

unsettling new developments in the effort to bring peace and stability to that region had the unsettling task of picking out a coffin and making the other funeral arrangements for his father
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 all, Against Nature is all about the unsettling atmosphere and the senses. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 July 2026 Expanding Shed into a feature gives us the chance to go deeper into trauma and transformation in a way that feels both intimate and unsettling. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 30 June 2026 The result is a compassionate, elegant, unsettling book about some extremely shabby people. — Literary Hub, 26 June 2026 Max Cady should be an unsettling interruption, a man who undermines our ideas of right and wrong through his nonchalance about his own wickedness; here, the most unsettling thing about him are those teal contact lenses. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for unsettling

Word History

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unsettling was in 1665

Rhymes for unsettling

See All Rhymes for unsettling

Browse Nearby Words

unsettlement
unsettling
unsevered
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unsettling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unsettling. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on unsettling

Nglish: Translation of unsettling for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
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
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All