1
as in annoying
causing annoyance
a disturbing visit by the next-door neighbor while I was trying to study
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in embarrassing
causing embarrassment
there was a disturbing silence as I struggled to remember her name
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unsettling
causing worry or anxiety
a disturbing trend in the nation's energy consumption
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
a disturbing pause in the normally smooth operation of the machinery
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in alarming
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
all that talk of war disturbed us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in removing
to change the place or position of
the items on her desk had been disturbed by someone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disrupting
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
her careful filing system is sure to be disturbed during the move
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bothering
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
sorry to disturb you while you're working
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in troubling
to cause discomfort to or trouble for
please do not disturb yourself—I'll get my own drink
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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 disturbing
EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
And from Tony Briscoe, this disturbing tale: California regulators have found pesticides floating in the air in multiple large farming regions.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for disturbing 
Adjective
Gunfire takes out many of the rebels, and the sheer number of casualties is disturbing.
—EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
And from Tony Briscoe, this disturbing tale: California regulators have found pesticides floating in the air in multiple large farming regions.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
Avoid disturbing the basal leaves by cutting stems 2 to 3 inches above the soil line.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for disturbing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disturbing
Adjective
-
But more recently there have been other issues, such as one that is highly annoying: vanishing data in the Apple Notes app.David Phelan, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
-
But there is one item on her bucket list that has been annoying elusive.Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Failure would be deeply embarrassing and, more pressingly, dangerous for the planet.Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
-
The final piece of the puzzle snaps into place as the gang attends a party thrown by Mac’s friend and former producer Roya (Haven Burton), who happens to own the monkey that gave Mac that embarrassing small-mouth hickey.Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
The great director Hiro Murai collaborated with Glover on one of the most unsettling half-hours of TV in the 2010s, an experience that unfolded without commercial breaks.Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024
-
The only person who sees what’s disturbing about her is her daughter, Eva, and very soon all will see what is unsettling about her, too.Joe Otterson, Variety, 25 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
That raises uneasy questions about Worthington’s social fabric and how to celebrate distinct cultures while overcoming ethnic self-segregation.Giovanna Dell'orto, Twin Cities, 31 Oct. 2024
-
Apostates ties hunters with these organizations more closely as uneasy allies, rivals or even direct antagonists.Rob Wieland, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
In 1913, after Lane had been removing his patients’ colons for five years, a panel of the Royal Society of Medicine was finally convened to interrogate the wisdom of resorting to surgery to combat chronic constipation.Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024
-
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice that argued the state was removing people from its voter registration list too close to Election Day, according to a court motion filed Wednesday.Ashley Oliver, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 3 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
The 50,000 members of the union working at ports from Maine to Texas have been on strike since early Tuesday morning, halting the flow of the majority of containerized imports into the United States, along with many of the exports, disrupting the sales of American businesses overseas.Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, 3 Oct. 2024
-
Russian shelling has severely damaged two water facilities in northern Donetsk, disrupting the water supply for about 260,000 residents.Katya Soldak, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
Is the trend of sales taking a route that is bothering you?Hitendra Patil, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
-
In many cases, states have stopped bothering to make legal justifications at all, the Human Rights Committee report warned.Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Not all of these ideas will pan out, but if any do, the next few years could bring an inflection point in treating some of the most frustrating and intractable diseases of our modern era.Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2024
-
Kody quickly came to Robyn’s defense, further frustrating Janelle.Liza Esquibias, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near disturbing
Cite this Entry
“Disturbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disturbing. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share