SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
unsettling
adjective
Causing uneasiness or disturbing confidence and composure.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Disturbing composure
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topUnsettling disturbs confidence or calm. Alarming suggests a stronger perception of danger; eerie describes a strange atmosphere that may produce unease.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See unsettling in use
The unexplained gap in the records was unsettling to the archivist.
An unsettling change occurred when the character's familiar room contained a second coat that nobody could account for.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license