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disturbed

disturbed

37 3.8
Feeling upset or worried and unable to think clearly
  • adjective
  • /dɪˈstɜrbd/
translation icon : trastornado
  • You're dealing with a disturbed woman who just lost her husband.
  • mentally disturbed
  • deeply disturbed
  • even more disturbed

These are really mentally ill, disturbed people.

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Examples

  • My mom was very disturbed by this and opened the closet door but left it alone after that.

  • She felt very disturbed after watching the horror movie last night.

  • And I told him that I was disturbed by this and we needed to take steps to change this.

  • This is a very disturbed individual.

  • You know how disturbed you get when it's a full moon.

  • I was sad enough, disturbed enough, for them to believe it.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • These are really mentally ill, disturbed people.

  • Indeed, it seems appropriate to us that a disturbed individual should not be employed in treating other disturbed individuals.

    Academic text (1994)
  • He was a very disturbed little boy.

  • But I must say I was terribly disturbed when I read your version of The Little Cinder Girl.

Synonyms

worried
vsdisturbed
1.0

Feeling nervous or upset about something that may go wrong

covers wider emotional disturbance beyond worry about a specific issue
upset
vsdisturbed
1.0

Feeling sad or worried because something bad happened

is the broader state of emotional or mental trouble rather than a reaction
troubled
vsdisturbed
133 3.5

Feeling worried or upset because of problems

is similar but names general emotional or mental trouble rather than specific problems
distraught
vsdisturbed
86 7.2

Being very upset and worried so you cannot think clearly

is similar but usually less extreme and more stable mentally
agitated
vsdisturbed
49 4.1

Feeling nervous, upset, and not calm

is an inner emotional or mental trouble rather than visible restlessness
distressed
vsdisturbed
35 2.9

Feeling very upset, worried, or hurt

is focused on mental or emotional trouble without physical suffering
addled
vsdisturbed
6 7.3

Confused and unable to think clearly

is about emotional or mental trouble rather than only unclear thinking
discombobulated
vsdisturbed
  • Informal
2 9.9

Confused and unable to think clearly after something unexpected

is emotional or mental trouble beyond mere confusion or composure loss
perturbed
vsdisturbed
1 6.4

Worried or upset because of something unexpected

is the general state of emotional trouble rather than brief confusion
rattled
vsdisturbed
  • Informal
1 7.0

Feeling nervous and confused after a sudden, unexpected event

is the general emotional state, not only a reaction to surprises
dysphoric
vsdisturbed
  • Specialized
1 9.2

Feeling very unhappy, uneasy, and restless inside

is broader emotional or mental trouble rather than a chronic mood state
disquieted
vsdisturbed
1 7.0

Feeling worried and uneasy about something

is more general emotional or mental trouble, not only quiet unease
fazed
vsdisturbed
1 6.5

Not showing surprise or worry when something unexpected happens

is general emotional or mental trouble rather than a short reaction
disconcerted
vsdisturbed
1 6.9

Feeling confused and uneasy because something surprised you

is broader emotional or mental trouble, not only composure loss
shaken
vsdisturbed
2.7

Feeling upset and confused after a sudden bad event

is the ongoing emotional or mental trouble rather than a sudden shock
consternated
vsdisturbed
  • Archaic
8.4

Feeling very surprised and worried by something unexpected

is the wider state of emotional or mental disturbance beyond sudden shocks

Antonyms

735 1.0

Not showing strong feelings and being very still

473 2.3

Not likely to change and stays steady over time

How Disturbed

unstable
91 4.4
distressed
35 2.9
disturbed
37 3.8
anxious
201 2.7
uneasy
98 3.2

Surface Forms

disturbed positive

Morphology

disturbed = disturb (transparent) = disturb + ed

Adjective formed from the verb 'disturb' with the regular past-participial/adjectival '-ed'; meaning 'mentally upset' is a direct derivation of 'to disturb'.

Etymology

Disturbed comes from the Latin parts dis- 'apart' and turbare 'to upset', so imagine a mind 'thrown into confusion' or shaken inside. That's why disturbed describes someone with emotional or mental trouble.