disconcerting
Americanadjective
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disturbing to one's composure or self-possession; upsetting, discomfiting.
-
confusing, usually in the face of something totally unexpected; perplexing.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disconcerting
Compare meaning
How does disconcerting compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Something is disconcerting if it makes you uneasy or unsettles you. Even if you don't give your little brother's dreams of conquering the world and enslaving humanity much chance of success, you may find them disconcerting. Think of a concert as something that is organized and runs smoothly. Anything that interrupts that organization and causes concern is disconcerting. The fact that your band ends each rehearsal with a screaming match is disconcerting, unless they are a punk band. Your disconcerting habit of laughing hysterically during job interviews? That may prevent you from gaining employment.
Vocabulary lists containing disconcerting
The Great Gatsby
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Grade 9, List 3
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1984
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Anne Hardy Disconcerting JG Ballard-inspired images of a ruined future from this imaginative photographer and film-maker.
From The Guardian • Apr. 20, 2018
Disconcerting to many is that disgraced officials can regain power in the sport, most conspicuously Didier Gailhaguet of France, who was at the center of the vote-trading scandal at the 2002 Salt Lake Games.
From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2014
The Disconcerting Brilliance of the iPhone 5 It may be the greatest smartphone on the market.
From Slate • Sep. 22, 2012
Disconcerting but easy once you know, as I did by then, that hosts and viewers are considered all part of the same soccer-fanatic gang.
From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2011
Disconcerting silence and mysterious tears were the only response he had succeeded in eliciting by his declarations of love.
From The Dead Command From the Spanish Los Muertos Mandan by Douglas, Frances
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
