disturbing

disturbing — adjective

1. Something that is disturbing makes you feel worried, uncomfortable, or upset — e

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

Something that is disturbing makes you feel worried, uncomfortable, or upset — especially when it involves violence, cruelty, or a situation you believe is morally wrong.

Example

The documentary contained disturbing footage of the earthquake's aftermath in the coastal town.

collocation: disturbing footage / disturbing images

What Aiko found most disturbing was how calmly the manager had dismissed the safety problems.

structure: what [person] found most disturbing was [clause]

Common collocations
  • deeply disturbing
  • highly disturbing
  • profoundly disturbing
  • disturbing footage
  • disturbing images
  • disturbing trend
  • disturbing news
  • disturbing report
  • find something disturbing
Synonyms
  • upsetting

    more personal and everyday; 'upsetting' often describes sadness rather than moral shock (e.g., an upsetting farewell)

  • troubling

    milder in tone; 'troubling' suggests doubt or concern about a situation rather than full emotional shock

  • unsettling

    focuses on unease or discomfort; 'unsettling' lacks the strong element of moral violation that 'disturbing' carries

  • worrying

    centered on fear about future outcomes; 'worrying' is less intense than 'disturbing' and does not imply violence or cruelty

Antonyms
  • reassuring

    something that makes you feel calm and safe rather than worried or upset

  • comforting

    soothing and pleasant, the opposite of the discomfort 'disturbing' describes

Usage Note

Describes the thing that causes the feeling, not the person who experiences it. To describe a person's emotional state, use 'disturbed' instead (e.g., 'She was deeply disturbed by the news').

Common Mistakes

I am disturbing about the exam results.
I am disturbed by the exam results.
'disturbing' describes whatever causes the upset feeling; 'disturbed' describes how a person feels.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe negative emotional reactions, but 'disturbing' is the strongest — it suggests something that shakes your sense of safety or moral order. 'Troubling' (B2) is milder and works well for ongoing problems or doubts ('a troubling pattern in the test results'). 'Unsettling' (C1) focuses on unease or discomfort without the full shock ('an unsettling pause before the verdict'). 'Upsetting' (B1) is the most everyday and personal — it describes sadness or distress ('an upsetting phone call from her mother'). 'Worrying' (B1) centres on fear about future outcomes ('worrying economic figures'). In practice, a disturbing film contains violent or cruel scenes; an upsetting film might show a sad but non-violent departure; a worrying news report points to trouble ahead. 'Disturbing' thus carries a sense of moral violation that the other words lack.

troubling ↗unsettlingupsetting ↗worrying ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • find something disturbing
  • something is deeply disturbing to someone

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

From Latin 'disturbare', formed from 'dis-' (meaning 'thoroughly') and 'turbare' (meaning 'to throw into confusion'), which itself comes from 'turba' ('turmoil, crowd'). The word entered English through Old French 'distourber' in the 13th century as the verb 'disturben'. The adjective 'disturbing' appeared later, around the 16th century, describing things that throw the mind into confusion or upset its calm.