PERTURBS Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

perturbs

verb

present tense third-person singular of perturb

as in disturbs

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy the caller's strange remark perturbed me enough to keep me awake that night

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 perturbs For example, obesity induces chronic fat inflammation, which subsequently leads to systemic inflammation and perturbs the normal systemic metabolism. — Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025 The algorithm next perturbs one of the qubits used to carry out those operations. — IEEE Spectrum, 21 Oct. 2025 Anything that perturbs or enlarges the prostate could in theory increase PSA levels. — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for perturbs

Verb

Some of the sightings claim a man wearing clothing typical of the 17th or 18th centuries, a man dressed in Confederate attire in the liquor room, a ghost of a former worker Joseph Hardesty and a female who actively disturbs visitors to her home.

— Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
Vibration disturbs the natural sediments in wine, flattening the flavor and aging it prematurely.

— Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of disturbs

Verb

Theranos whistleblower Tyler Shultz and Bad Blood author John Carreyrou have both weighed in, and Fortune has questioned whether her new persona distracts from the real story.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
Similarly, Sudan hopes that internal conflict in Ethiopia distracts Addis from its support of the rapid support forces militia in Sudan’s war.

— Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of distracts

Verb

Television doesn’t lack for comedies that deliver biting satire and cogent commentary — that are, in fact, so committed to commentary that nobody bothers to even include jokes.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
When asked if this bothers him at all, Shaq launches into a story about his youth.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of bothers

Verb

Spry said the attacker could have targeted any neighborhood residents — a thought that still unsettles her, given how easily the situation could have escalated.

— Doha Madani, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026
That is precisely the capability that unsettles underwriters, because an agent that can decide is an agent that can decide wrongly, and fast.

— Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

Definition of unsettles

Verb

Tehran fears that surrendering its maritime leverage first would invite fresh demands; Washington worries that easing pressure would reward coercion without securing lasting constraints on Iran’s nuclear program.

— Ali Vaez, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
With construction expected deep into the night, Ping worries, the dust and vibrations will only worsen.

— Curbed, Curbed, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of worries

Verb

That prospect alarms those in Europe, who fear FIFA could increasingly challenge their competitions for space on an already overcrowded calendar.

— Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
He becomes increasingly consumed by the otherworldly dimension, which alarms his therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve).

— Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026

Definition of alarms

Verb

Kurt's key takeaways What concerns me most is how much someone can learn about you without ever meeting you.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
One such puzzle concerns the origin of uncertainty, chance and probability, which are so central to quantum mechanics.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of concerns

Verb

Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party champion Taiwan’s separate identity from China, a position that frequently angers Beijing, which views the island as Chinese territory.

— Reuters, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
The receptionist angers Kripke and Bert so much that they are picked up by the police — along with Stuart, who had also been arrested.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 31 July 2026

Definition of angers

Browse Nearby Words

perturbingly

perturbs

perusal

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Perturbs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perturbs. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of perturbs

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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?

Popular in Wordplay

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

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes