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View synonyms for unsettle

unsettle

[ uhn-set-l ]

verb (used with object)

, un·set·tled, un·set·tling.
  1. to alter from a settled state; cause to be no longer firmly fixed or established; render unstable; disturb:

    Violence unsettled the government.

  2. to shake or weaken (beliefs, feelings, etc.); cause doubt or uncertainty about:

    doubts unsettling his religious convictions.

    Synonyms: disconcert, confuse, unbalance, disturb, upset

  3. to vex or agitate the mind or emotions of; upset; discompose:

    The quarrel unsettled her.



verb (used without object)

, un·set·tled, un·set·tling.
  1. to become unfixed or disordered.

unsettle

/ ʌnˈsɛtəl /

verb

  1. usually tr to change or become changed from a fixed or settled condition
  2. tr to confuse or agitate (emotions, the mind, etc)


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Derived Forms

  • unˈsettlement, noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of unsettle1

First recorded in 1535–45; un- 2 + settle 1

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Example Sentences

Roberts has staked his survival on branding Orman with the label most likely to unsettle undecided Kansans.

The flying debris and open sewage were the first of many shocks that would unsettle an unprepared visitor.

But her aura of mystery and capricious habits unsettle him, too, and Marcenat discovers Odile having an affair.

I could foresee a catastrophe which would for ever unsettle the two towns, and give the valley an unenviable reputation.

They were forever settling the matter, positively and finally—but alas, only to have something unsettle it again.

They unsettle the popular mind concerning eternal principles of justice.

Far be it from me to try to unsettle your mind or lead you any further until you feel that you need leading.

The Indian of the plains had as yet seen little to unsettle his assurance of everlasting dominion.

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