disconcerting

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UK/ˌdɪskənˈsɜːtɪŋ/US/ˌdɪskənˈsɝtɪŋ/

adjective

Tending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm.

“Even with a safety harness, losing one's grip that high up is disconcerting.”

Similar
unsettlingtroublingupsettingdispleasing
Less commonScrabble 19
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Meanings

disconcerting1

adjectivedisconcerting (comparative more disconcerting, superlative most disconcerting)

comparative more disconcerting · superlative most disconcerting

  1. Tending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm.

    Even with a safety harness, losing one's grip that high up is disconcerting.

    1 more example

    "You must admit," he remarked, "that up to now our conversation has hardly proceeded along conventional lines. I am a complete stranger to you; another man who is a complete stranger to me speaks to you while we're at tea. You inform me that I shall probably have to kill him in the near future. The statement is, I think you will agree, a trifle disconcerting."

    1920, Herman Cyril McNeile, chapter 1, in Bulldog Drummond

    Synonyms: unsettling, troubling, upsetting

verb
  1. participlepresentpresent participle of disconcert

disconcerting2

noundisconcerting (countable and uncountable, plural disconcertings)

plural disconcertings

  1. countablegerunduncountablegerund of disconcert

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveTending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm.

Similar
unsettlingtroublingupsetting

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivecausing an emotional disturbance

Similar
upsettingdispleasing
Also see
abashingdauntingdiscomfitingdispleasingupsetting

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

disconcerting · adjective, verb

From disconcert + -ing.

Full word history & related roots →

disconcerting · noun

From disconcert + -ing.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan desconcertant
  • desconcertanttending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
Danish foruroligende, bekymrende
  • foruroligendetending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
  • bekymrendetending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
Dutch verontrustend, zorgwekkend
  • verontrustendtending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
  • zorgwekkendtending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
Finnish huolestuttava, hämmentävä
  • huolestuttavatending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
  • hämmentävätending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
  • kiusallinentending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
French troublant
  • troublanttending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
German beunruhigend, unangenehm
  • beunruhigendtending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
  • unangenehmtending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
  • befremdlichtending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
Hindi विक्षोभकारिता
  • विक्षोभकारिता (vikṣobhkāritā)tending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
Hungarian nyugtalanító
  • nyugtalanítótending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
Italian sconcertante, sconvolgente
  • sconcertantetending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
  • sconvolgentetending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
  • disorientantetending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
Norwegian Bokmål urovekkende
  • urovekkendetending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
Portuguese desconcertante
  • desconcertantetending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
Spanish desconcertante
  • desconcertantetending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
Swedish oroväckande
  • oroväckandetending to cause discomfort, uneasiness or alarm; unsettling; troubling; upsetting
Cite this entry
APA

disconcerting. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disconcerting

MLA

“disconcerting.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disconcerting. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “disconcerting,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disconcerting.

Source: disconcerting on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.