upsetting

adjective

up·​set·​ting (ˌ)əp-ˈse-tiŋ 

: mentally or emotionally troubling or disturbing : causing feelings of worry or anxiety

heard some upsetting news

an upsetting experience

We're up to [a deficit of] $1.5 trillion a year …. These numbers are truly upsetting.

—Bill Gates

Professors issue, or students demand, trigger warnings when presenting material that might be upsetting to some: depictions of rape, sexism, racism, suicide.

—Yvonne Abraham

upsettingly adverb

an upsettingly graphic depiction of violence

In comparison to male historical figures, the number of women that we learn about throughout school is upsettingly low.

—Alexis Gardner

Synonyms

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

Examples of upsetting in a Sentence

the constant arguing is upsetting to a sensitive person like your grandmother

Recent Examples on the Web

The social media site has been upsetting Linux fans for mysteriously taking down user posts mentioning the OS. —Michael Kan, PCMAG, 28 Jan. 2025

Tommy has given her share of bad medical news on 9-1-1: Lone Star, but now the EMT is facing an upsetting diagnosis of her own. —Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 27 Jan. 2025

To be clear, there is one upsetting scene involving the bunny, who Rebecca names Milk. —Katie Rife, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2025

Needless to say, these new AI creative capabilities are upsetting many human creators. —Zain Jaffer, Rolling Stone, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above