DISQUIETING Synonyms: 155 Similar and Opposite Words

disquieting 1 of 2

adjective

as in disturbing

causing worry or anxiety disquieting news of troubles downtown

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in uneasy

marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings with a disquieting voice she asked me to investigate the strange noise coming from the basement

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

disquieting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of disquiet

as in alarming

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy we were disquieted by the strange noises we heard outside our tent at night

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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 disquieting

Adjective

But there’s also something more disquieting at work here, and not just when George’s advances begin to feel very much like, well, advances. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 June 2026 Much of the film’s success, however, derives not from the twists and turns of plot but from simply situating the viewer in the disquieting vibe of this bizarre place. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026 At one hour and 20 minutes, this prime example of German Expressionism leaves its audience with disquieting visuals and a twist. — Air Mail, 30 May 2026 Pattinson and Zendaya play a couple whose wedding engagement is derailed after a disquieting revelation. — ABC News, 1 May 2026 He’s long delved into the dark corners of his lived and theoretical experience, pushing toward sticky, disquieting ideas that sent ripples of nervous laughter through a crowd unable to reject his reasoning. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 June 2026 There is also, again, the disquieting realization that four Justices were willing to change the meaning of birthright citizenship, albeit to different degrees, and for varying reasons. — Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 30 June 2026 An office complex in Oakland has been seized by its lender through a foreclosure that serves as a disquieting reminder that financial setbacks continue to haunt commercial properties in the East Bay’s largest city. — George Avalos, Mercury News, 14 May 2026 Paying tribute to a South Carolina town destroyed in the 1950s for a nuclear materials plant, the Durham avant-folk trio's disquieting new album is both a community service and a spiritual offering. — Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 22 May 2026

Verb

The subjects say rending but also disquieting things about killing. — Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026 This is NDiaye at her disquieting best. — Emma Alpern, Vulture, 30 Dec. 2025 Her images of ice blocks, lush fabrics, cherries, sea animals, and charred hearts are disquieting in the best way and well worth trekking to Santa Monica to witness in person. — Emma Specter, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026 The combination of quavering flutes and solemn, unfamiliar corridors is disquieting. — Hazlitt, 10 Dec. 2025 The author calculated the shock wave’s energy that would be deposited in a human body by using physics similar to that of a bullet impact, which, though disquieting to say the least, is not a bad assumption from a scientific standpoint. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026 To say that Nicholas did not share his father’s politics is an understatement, but much of his bibliography can be seen as a reckoning with his father’s unsettling career in politics and disquieting legacy. — Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026 The impersonations were disquieting. — Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2026 In a powerful and disquieting GQ profile, the band and some immediate friends and family unraveled the struggles that have plagued their lucrative but life-altering reunion, a kind of cautionary tale for leveling up after settling down. — Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disquieting

Adjective

There were many disturbing parts of Kerstin’s story left unpursued.

— William Finnegan, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
The film is a modern take on the creature horror film told from the perspective of a young boy who slowly begins to discover that his beloved parents are hiding a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature.

— Justin Kroll, Deadline, 25 June 2026

Definition of disturbing

Verb

So, even just the unusual presence of an aircraft in this area made this incident alarming for one resident, Anna, who spoke to CNN near the scene.

— Steven Jiang, CNN Money, 26 June 2026
At the same time, the state’s spending keeps growing quickly as well, alarming the Legislative Analyst’s Office, which advises the Legislature on fiscal matters.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2026

Definition of alarming

Adjective

After all, Against Nature is all about the unsettling atmosphere and the senses.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 July 2026
Seeking a fresh start, Ellie moves into a house on Delaney Row hoping to leave her troubled past behind, only to discover that her new home is steeped in dark secrets and unsettling mysteries.

— Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 3 July 2026

Definition of unsettling

Verb

Driving into the estate down a dirt track, you’re met with concrete walls that frame the space with gallery-like precision, directing your eyes toward geological features rather than distracting from them.

— Lara Johnson-Wheeler, Vogue, 3 July 2026
There was some online angst over whether Swift was distracting from football — while the NFL itself capitalized on her fandom.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026

Definition of distracting

Adjective

The June 14 shooting has outraged community members and prompted protests in the small town of Senatobia, where residents point to a string of troubling encounters with police in recent years.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
This year’s line-hardening—by my count, some twenty-three per cent of cases—is both remarkable and troubling.

— Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 30 June 2026

Definition of troubling

Adjective

Max is accompanied on his adventures by anxious robot C-3PO AB Sitter, and FX, a magical alien masquerading as a toy who can turn the kid's implausibly impressive sand sculptures into fully functioning robots.

— Richard Edwards, Space.com, 5 July 2026
America’s centennial in 1876 was celebrated with a grand exhibition that projected an image of national unity and inventiveness in the anxious aftermath of civil war and recession.

— The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026

Definition of anxious

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“Disquieting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disquieting. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of disquieting

adjective

verb

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