perturbing

adjective

per·​turb·​ing pər-ˈtər-biŋ 

: causing worry, upset, or concern : unsettling

… the absence of mail was somehow just as perturbing as its presence, and it made him feel strangely on edge.

—Bentley Little

Rowland had an odd feeling … that she might make, later, some perturbing discovery.

—Henry James

perturbingly adverb

The one memorable sequence in this perturbingly aimless piece is a pensive, wistful solo toward the start …

—Alan M. Kriegsman

Synonyms

• discomforting
• discomposing
• disquieting
• distressing
• disturbing
• nagging
• nasty
• troublesome
• troubling
• troublous
• unsettling
• upsetting
• worrisome

Examples of perturbing in a Sentence

the perturbing news meant that we'd have to end our vacation prematurely

Recent Examples on the Web

Even more perturbing is the possibility that the gangs, which have grown more independent from their past elite sponsors, could put forward their own candidates. —Renata Segura, Foreign Affairs, 29 Aug. 2024

Peters, affecting an unnervingly flat Wisconsin accent, gets to give yet another perturbing performance. —Caroline Framke, Variety, 21 Sep. 2022

These questions remain as A Lot of Nothing careens to a shock-value ending that’s more perturbing than exciting. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2022

The same perturbing pattern was seen within a year of the introduction of the antibiotic methicillin in 1961, a drug specifically designed to treat penicillin-resistant S. aureus. —Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 29 Nov. 2016

Word History

First Known Use

1559, in the meaning defined above