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

The experience has been unsettling. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2025

But there’s something genuinely unsettling about watching Katherine get stalked by the bubbles from her bath or the room itself somehow teleport around the hotel; if nothing else, the suite is certainly one of the season’s more unusual villains. —Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025

Memory loss is one of the most unsettling experiences a person can face. —Daryl Austin, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025

There’s an especially unsettling moment where the escaping party finds the graves for all of the sick children whose minds went into the hybrids. —Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unsettling

• settling
• resettling