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disturbing

disturbing

304 4.2
Causing worry or fear
  • adjective
  • /dɪˈstɜːrbɪŋ/
translation icon : inquietante
  • The documentary contained disturbing images of wildlife in danger, which left the audience visibly upset.
  • disturbing images
  • disturbing news
  • disturbing trends

People thought that it was very disturbing and maybe even confusing.

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Examples

  • I also have some disturbing news.

  • Am I the only one who finds all of this disturbing?

  • I find your lack of faith disturbing, Jack.

  • Wow, it's just so disturbing to think about.

  • Well, this is a very disturbing idea, right?

  • It's quite disturbing, to tell you the truth.

  • It's a disturbing thought, I know.

  • I do find it disturbing.

  • And now they had taken a new and deeply disturbing turn: sleepwalking.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • That's part of what makes the Milgram experiment disturbing, right?

Synonyms

scary
vsdisturbing
763 1.0

Causing fear or making you feel afraid

is more about worry and distress than direct fear
frightening
vsdisturbing
287 3.0

Causing someone to feel afraid

produces worry or distress even without direct fear
terrifying
vsdisturbing
209 5.3

Making people feel very afraid

raises extreme terror rather than general worry or unease
horrific
vsdisturbing
179 5.5

Causing great fear or shock

expresses severe horror while the key is general anxiety
troubling
vsdisturbing
154 4.0

Causing worry or distress

is used for causing anxiety or distress in general
startling
vsdisturbing
103 5.0

Very surprising in a way that causes sudden shock

leads to lasting distress or ongoing anxiety rather than momentary shock
horrifying
vsdisturbing
95 4.5

Makes people feel very afraid and shocked

is less extreme, focusing on worry rather than horror
alarming
vsdisturbing
94 3.7

Making people feel worried because something seems dangerous

is about causing worry without implying direct danger
upsetting
vsdisturbing
81 2.5

Making someone feel sad or worried

is more about worry and anxiety than general unhappiness
unsettling
vsdisturbing
64 4.2

Making you feel worried or uneasy

is stronger, focusing on clear distress or persistent worry
worrisome
vsdisturbing
41 3.9

Causing worry or concern

is a neutral cause of anxiety rather than intense upset
distressing
vsdisturbing
  • Specialized
36 4.6

Causing strong worry and emotional pain

stresses worry and anxiety more than sadness or pain
disconcerting
vsdisturbing
30 7.2

Making you feel confused or uneasy

points to direct worry and anxiety instead of confusion
concerning
vsdisturbing
25 3.5

Making people feel worried

is a general emotional reaction, not only a serious matter
bothersome
vsdisturbing
14 3.5

Causing annoyance or trouble

provokes deeper worry or anxiety rather than light irritation
vexing
vsdisturbing
11 7.7

Making someone feel annoyed or frustrated

creates emotional distress or anxiety rather than mere annoyance
disquieting
vsdisturbing
8 7.0

Making people feel worried or uneasy

is more about clear distress and active anxiety
worrying
vsdisturbing
6 2.0

Making people feel nervous or concerned

focuses on general anxiety rather than immediate shock
discomforting
vsdisturbing
3 4.2

Causing someone to feel uneasy or worried

is more about mental distress and anxiety than physical unease
dismaying
vsdisturbing
3 5.5

Making people feel very worried and disappointed

is about worry and anxiety rather than mainly disappointment
distressful
vsdisturbing
1 6.2

Making someone feel very worried or upset

has the same general meaning and emotional effect
perturbing
vsdisturbing
1 6.8

Something that makes you feel worried or uneasy

has identical meaning and same emotional effect

Antonyms

78 3.1

Makes someone feel less worried and calmer

How Disturbing

horrifying
95 4.5
shocking
278 3.4
alarming
94 3.7
disturbing
304 4.2
unsettling
64 4.2

Surface Forms

disturbing positive

Morphology

disturbing = disturb (transparent) = disturb + ing

Formed from the verb 'disturb' with the productive -ing suffix to make an adjective; the meaning is directly predictable from 'disturb'.

Etymology

The word disturbing comes from the Latin parts dis- ('apart') and turbare ('to upset'), and it shares its root with turbulent and turbulence, words for rough, upsetting movement. So, something disturbing breaks your calm and makes you worried or upset.