unsettling

adjective

un·​set·​tling

ˌən-ˈset-liŋ,

-ˈse-tᵊl-iŋ 

: having the effect of upsetting, disturbing, or discomposing

unsettling images of the war

unsettlingly

ˌən-ˈset-liŋ-lē

-ˈse-tᵊl-iŋ- 

adverb

Synonyms

• disturbing
• troubling
• frightening

Examples of unsettling in a Sentence

unsettling new developments in the effort to bring peace and stability to that region

had the unsettling task of picking out a coffin and making the other funeral arrangements for his father

Recent Examples on the Web

For a story that could be this dark, what a gift to be able to recount some of these things, but with a tone that doesn’t need to be wildly investigative and uncomfortable and unsettling. —Lynette Rice, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025

Here's where neuroscience makes this even more unsettling. —Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025

People only a few years older than myself had started disappearing with unsettling frequency. —Tom Piazza september 12, Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025

And the appropriately off-kilter, kinetic cinematography from Jo Willems and the unsettling decades-blending production design from Nicolas Lepage contribute mightily as well. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unsettling

• settling
• resettling