unnerving 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of unnervingnext
as in disturbing
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings the unnerving news of yet another murder

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

unnerving

2 of 2

verb

present participle of unnerve
1
as in paralyzing
to deprive of courage or confidence the riding accident so unnerved me that for a while I was afraid to get back on a horse

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discouraging
to lessen the courage or confidence of a figure skater can't afford to be unnerved by an occasional slipup

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerving
  1. disturbing
  2. paralyzing
  3. discouraging
  4. uneasy
  5. unsettling
  6. tense
  7. intimidating
  8. anxious
Adjective
  • One of the more disturbing results was from the dinner party at the Brooklyn apartment of my ProPublica colleague.
    Topher Sanders, ProPublica, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Duchamp spent the last twenty years of his life working in secret on a three-dimensional tableau vivant of a naked, headless female body in a realistic landscape, a strangely disturbing image that is both a summary of his meta-retinal art and a total departure from it.
    Calvin Tomkins, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of disturbing
Verb
  • But soon, Salinas found herself under a monthslong investigation, trying to fight off paralyzing depression while processing her grief and caring for her other children.
    Shoshana Walter, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Yoon said the opposition politicians who control parliament are paralyzing the government and subverting democracy, accusing them of aligning with North Korea.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 4 Dec. 2024
Definition of paralyzing
Verb
  • For those who do report, the process is often re-traumatizing, further discouraging victims from seeking justice.
    Chloe Laws, Glamour, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Lawmakers hope to lower drug prices for patients, taxpayers and employers by discouraging those companies from steering patients toward more expensive drugs to bolster their own profits.
    Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2024
Definition of discouraging
Adjective
  • But the series also revealed an uneasy disconnect between the British public and the media.
    Katie Marie Davies, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Here, she’s filmed upside-down against a stark white sky with the old girl bobbing on an uneasy axis.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • And Robert Zemeckis' 2009 take featuring Jim Carrey is noteworthy for a few reasons: Not only are the ghosts downright terrifying, but the animation style is also unsettling, and may scare you for all the wrong reasons.
    Huntley Woods, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
  • In addition to this unsettling experience, Robbins shared with Newsweek a moment of unexpected kindness during her return flight.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Definition of unsettling
Adjective
  • Romy is the immaculately assembled and impossibly tense CEO of an automation company, whose pioneering work with robotics and artificial intelligence feels almost too on the nose.
    Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Immediately after Dylan’s tense moment with Seeger, Dylan walks out to find a loaded Cash trying (failing) to back his car out of a parking lot.
    Brady Gerber, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
Definition of tense
Verb
  • This new era of AI can feel intimidating for the limited, human life forms that created it.
    Marc Zao-Sanders, Harvard Business Review, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Only six years older than Crystal, the comedian still found Scorsese intimidating.
    Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 16 Dec. 2024
Definition of intimidating
Adjective
  • The horror sequel centers on pop star and drug addict Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), who's anxious about a comeback tour and visits her dealer for pills.
    Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
  • His words speak to an anxious, ongoing need not just to entertain, but to distract, to overact, to keep the audience unmoored, all in an effort to hide deep and intractable feelings of inadequacy.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
Definition of anxious
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near unnerving

unnerves

unnerving

unneurotic

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Cite this Entry

“Unnerving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerving. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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