ˌən-ˈset-liŋ
1
as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety
unsettling new developments in the effort to bring peace and stability to that region
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
had the unsettling task of picking out a coffin and making the other funeral arrangements for his father
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in alarming
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
the news that the local grocery store had sold contaminated produce unsettled many shoppers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unsettling
Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 10 July 2025
Others saw it as a humorous, if unsettling, glimpse into how AI is increasingly embedded in corporate communications.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
The trailer is equal parts unsettling, outlandish and zany.
—Nikki Sternberg, HollywoodReporter, 26 June 2025
The pit and toy poodle mix, adopted from a rescue ranch called The Barking Lot outside San Diego, found the sudden arrival of towering boxes and disappearing furniture deeply unsettling.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsettling
Adjective
The unsettling noise was followed by a tense hour in the cabin, with many passengers crying, praying or showing signs of distress.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 10 July 2025
Others saw it as a humorous, if unsettling, glimpse into how AI is increasingly embedded in corporate communications.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
The trailer is equal parts unsettling, outlandish and zany.
—Nikki Sternberg, HollywoodReporter, 26 June 2025
The pit and toy poodle mix, adopted from a rescue ranch called The Barking Lot outside San Diego, found the sudden arrival of towering boxes and disappearing furniture deeply unsettling.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsettling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsettling
Adjective
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This is a disturbing statistic and speaks to an increase in the total number of people defacing themselves, but also a rise in the amount of ink per person.—
Scott Liftman,
Boston Herald,
25 July 2025
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The board of the Regional Transportation Authority met Friday to discuss ways to respond to the cut, striking a note of optimism to counter the disturbing prediction for Tri-Rail’s future.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Pico’s other headsets are not sold in North America and ByteDance and the Trump administration have an uneasy relationship at best.—
Chris Morris,
Fortune,
15 July 2025
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The carpenters’ stance has created a split in the labor movement that makes lawmakers uneasy and sometimes spills into public view.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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While Mamdani may have intended to express respect to a religious community, his comments signal troubling deference to powerful interests that have long resisted even the most basic educational standards in Hasidic yeshivas.—
Adina Mermelstein Konikoff,
New York Daily News,
22 July 2025
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In a post shared on Facebook by Caribbean Guard, a volunteer lifeguard organization in Costa Rica, the group described attempts made to save the 54-year-old from the troubling waters.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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One client shared how a simple practice of pausing to name their emotion before responding in a tense board meeting helped de-escalate conflict and steer the conversation toward collaboration.—
Maureen Metcalf,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
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Trump's trade deals with many countries—perhaps most notably China and the European Union—remain in tense negotiations, each one potentially affecting their manufacturing costs.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Occupying and distracting the mind.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
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While most of the acting is wonderful (Wyle is predictably great, but so is just about all of the main cast), some patient-of-the-week players err towards distracting histrionics.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Through it all, the Jurassic Park franchise continued to break new ground, surprising and captivating audiences with fresh, new and unexpected developments in each installment, made all the more vivid, realistic and frightening with the latest in CGI and believable acting.—
Jan Wagner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 July 2025
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Perhaps most frightening of all is the fact that, in rural areas, such calamity occurs before any official help can arrive.—
Jessica Pishko,
New Yorker,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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With Iran and its proxies diminished and Gulf states anxious to diversify their economies, any prospect for broader peace and normalization runs through Riyadh.—
Edward Felsenthal,
Time,
23 July 2025
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This is their first major sit-down interview together, and both are a bit anxious.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
23 July 2025
Verb
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Overweight and obesity need to be treated safely and effectively to avoid that worrying forecast.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 Dec. 2024
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Bitcoin has dropping back from its all-time high of over $100,000 in the last week as BlackRock quietly confirmed a worrying bitcoin bombshell.—
Billy Bambrough,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Unsettling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsettling. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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