disconcerting 1 of 2

adjective

as in embarrassing
causing embarrassment a disconcerting habit of chewing with his mouth open

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

disconcerting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of disconcert
as in confusing
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress we were disconcerted by the unexpected changes to the program

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 disconcerting
Adjective
The abruptness is disconcerting but can be overcome by learning the pedal’s nuances. — James Raia, Mercury News, 1 May 2026 In the finale, Matthew’s scenes with K Callan, who plays Ruth, are really disconcerting. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2026 There are plenty of inconveniences frequent air travelers have become accustomed to, from long security lines to shrinking overhead storage bins, but few are as disconcerting as heavy turbulence in flight. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026 The traditional avenue for dealing with this disconcerting situation would be to hire specialist counselors trained as therapists and psychologists and station them at the schools for ready access by students. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 Other content, however, could be so disconcerting that it is assumed never to produce meaningful debate, and news outlets (and other platforms) need to make difficult decisions on how to identify and remove such content. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2026 About 20 miles southwest of Indianapolis, Mooresville residents report finding dirty water filters turning a disconcerting brown. — Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 31 Mar. 2026 That is really, really, really disconcerting. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 1 May 2026 Bari Weiss directed the housecleaning at the newsmagazine last week, and Nick Bilton signed the letter telling Scott Pelley he was fired on Tuesday night, but the Paramount CEO owns the decisions and the disconcerting fallout. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
Verb
The young actor has a disconcerting awareness of the roiling potential of his changing body. — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025 There’s a lot of disconcerting news about AI in journalism lately. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 5 Mar. 2026 The news is disconcerting for nearby residents like Moody. — Olivia Young, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026 This imbalance is perhaps not expressly disconcerting much of the time. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026 There was also some disconcerting history to consider. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 17 Apr. 2026 As the Alabama Crimson Tide prepare for the rival Auburn Tigers ahead of Saturday’s Iron Bowl, the team received a bit of disconcerting news. — Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025 Even without Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota’s size remains disconcerting to the Nuggets, especially when Aaron Gordon is out. — Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 13 Mar. 2025 This detail, at once tragic and comic, painfully human and stupidly bureaucratic, captures something essential about Schattenfroh, an extremely dark novel about the horrors of modern European history laced with the delirious, disconcerting humor of a Hieronymus Bosch painting. — Book Marks september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disconcerting
  1. embarrassing
  2. confusing
  3. uncomfortable
  4. rattling
  5. awkward
  6. disturbing
  7. unpleasant
  8. difficult
Adjective
  • But goals from Harry Kane in the 75th and 86th minutes saved England from an embarrassing early exit.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
  • America is better when Paul Skenes is embarrassing hitters with Livvy in the stands pounding Miller Lites.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of embarrassing
Verb
  • One of the biggest mistakes students make is confusing a loan approval with an affordability recommendation.
    — Scott White, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Meta’s new cloud business — selling excess compute capacity to outside customers — is confusing on its face.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of confusing
Adjective
  • Despite the full lineup and passionate patriotic crowd in Seattle, Team USA looked uncomfortable from the start, fell behind early, made sloppy mistakes and could not keep up with the Belgians, who move on to face Spain in the quarterfinals.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
  • Upworthy reported that constant multitasking and algorithm-driven content have trained a lot of people’s brains to treat stillness as uncomfortable, pointing out that the average person keeps five to 10 browser tabs open at once.
    — Allison Palmer July 7, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
Definition of uncomfortable
Verb
  • The score by Tangerine Dream should be even more brain-rattling than usual in that venue.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Advances in engineering and flying at high altitudes can mitigate noise and avoid the rattling blast of a sonic boom.
    — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 1 July 2026
Definition of rattling
Adjective
  • Human bodies were like animals’ The few medical instruments of the revolutionary era were heavy in the hand, awkward in use and imprecise to maneuver.
    — Katherine Ott, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
  • In its place are itty-bitty bands that still keep your flats or heels in place, just with less of a chance of awkward tan lines.
    — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 1 July 2026
Definition of awkward
Verb
  • The appeal is largely practical, since powders travel well in a bag, don’t leave hands greasy and can be dusted on without disturbing whatever’s already on your skin.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 1, Charlotte Observer, 1 July 2026
  • The cream bronzer blends effortlessly underneath without disturbing the layers.
    — Corein Carter, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • Alas, Ligeti proved to be an extraordinarily difficult collaborator, his manic perfectionism colliding with practical reality and leading to unpleasant scenes.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • The consequences are unpleasant, but can also turn dangerous very quickly as body temperature rises.
    — Victoria Forster, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of unpleasant
Adjective
  • Sarah Buck, Chicago Driving has become harder The rapid increase in bike lanes has made driving much more difficult and tedious, with numerous delays due to many streets being reduced to one lane in busy areas.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Republican strategists have welcomed those nominations as an opening for attack in a difficult election year.
    — Susan Page, USA Today, 5 July 2026
Definition of difficult

Browse Nearby Words

disconcerted
disconcerting
disconcertment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disconcerting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disconcerting. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on disconcerting

Nglish: Translation of disconcerting 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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tacit

See Definitions and Examples »

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