disturbing
adjective
dis·turb·ing
di-ˈstər-biŋ 
: causing feelings of worry, concern, or anxiety
disturbing news
a disturbing discovery
The next phase in which I had a part was even more disturbing, and infinitely more painful.—
Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker
disturbingly
adverb
disturbingly high levels of pollution
a disturbingly familiar problem
… the texture of ordinary life and talk has taken on a disturbingly ambiguous quality …
—Jonathan Raban
Jonathan Raban
Synonyms
Examples of disturbing in a Sentence
a disturbing visit by the next-door neighbor while I was trying to study
there was a disturbing silence as I struggled to remember her name
a disturbing trend in the nation's energy consumption
a disturbing pause in the normally smooth operation of the machinery
Recent Examples on the Web
This is a dark and disturbing script that, circa 1996, would have been better handled by Darren Aronofsky or David Fincher.
—Brian Smolensky and James Mercadante, EW.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Nakamura, the father, was interned along with his Japanese American family during WWII, a shameful and disturbing period in 20th-century American history that has never been fully acknowledged or dealt with on a national level.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025
Curry argues that Subaru's extensive location tracking is a particularly disturbing demonstration of the car industry's lack of privacy safeguards around its growing collection of personal data on drivers.
—Ars Technica, 24 Jan. 2025
Rossellini’s iconic role as tortured crooner Dorothy Vallens in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986) won her an Independent Spirit Award for best female lead but the provocative and disturbing film proved too much for the Oscars.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for disturbing 
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Brian Smolensky and James Mercadante, EW.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Nakamura, the father, was interned along with his Japanese American family during WWII, a shameful and disturbing period in 20th-century American history that has never been fully acknowledged or dealt with on a national level.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025
Curry argues that Subaru's extensive location tracking is a particularly disturbing demonstration of the car industry's lack of privacy safeguards around its growing collection of personal data on drivers.
—Ars Technica, 24 Jan. 2025
Rossellini’s iconic role as tortured crooner Dorothy Vallens in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986) won her an Independent Spirit Award for best female lead but the provocative and disturbing film proved too much for the Oscars.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for disturbing
Dictionary Entries Near disturbing
Cite this Entry
“Disturbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disturbing. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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