unsettle
Americanverb (used with object)
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to alter from a settled state; cause to be no longer firmly fixed or established; render unstable; disturb.
Violence unsettled the government.
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to shake or weaken (beliefs, feelings, etc.); cause doubt or uncertainty about.
doubts unsettling his religious convictions.
- Synonyms:
- disconcert, confuse, unbalance, disturb, upset
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to vex or agitate the mind or emotions of; upset; discompose.
The quarrel unsettled her.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(usually tr) to change or become changed from a fixed or settled condition
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(tr) to confuse or agitate (emotions, the mind, etc)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unsettle
Explanation
To unsettle is to make someone feel disconcerted and disturbed. After you watch a scary horror movie, every little sound in your dark house will probably unsettle you. Things that leave you uneasy or anxious unsettle you, whether you receive a creepy prank phone call or have to start at a new school after moving in the middle of the year. A spooky mystery novel might unsettle you, especially if you read it at night, while falling stock prices tend to unsettle Wall Street experts. Use this verb whenever things feel upsetting and unstable.
Vocabulary lists containing unsettle
Power Prefix: un-
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: un-
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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.
Unsettle and challenge and make the powerful uncomfortable.
From Salon • Aug. 1, 2022
Pieces of the Civil War With the Power to Unsettle Two flags tell much of the story.
From New York Times • Mar. 24, 2012
Unsettle, un-set′l, v.t. to move from being settled: to make uncertain.—v.i. to become unfixed.—adj.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
Unsettle the foundations of society in South Carolina; do you hear the rumbling?
From Reminiscences of Sixty Years in Public Affairs, Vol. 1 by Boutwell, George S.
Nor could Ulysses from his station move And cast down Ajax, nor could Ajax him Unsettle, fixt so firm Ulysses stood.
From The Iliad of Homer Translated into English Blank Verse by William Cowper by Cowper, William
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.
