disarming
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disarming
Explanation
When something's disarming, it calms hostility. A disarming smile from you can transform what could have been a tense conversation with an angry neighbor. When you disarm a security system, it won't go off — everything is okay. The same thing happens when you act in a disarming way. A disarming gesture can make people feel less on their guard, like a famous actor whose disarming gesture shows he doesn't take himself so seriously after all. Disarming can also refer to the act of reducing military arms, or weapons.
Vocabulary lists containing disarming
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
This Week in Pop Culture: December 29, 2018 - January 4, 2019
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
With its zesty appreciation for the city’s landscape of oddballs, menacing and disarming alike, “Tuner” has some similarity to one of last year’s best pictures, “Caught Stealing.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
It said negotiations between the two countries would focus on "disarming Hezbollah and establishing peace relations between Israel and Lebanon".
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
Gosling is typically terrific, but “Project Hail Mary” is practically tailor-made for his brand of disarming allure.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
Marvel’s latest TV series, starring Yahya Adbul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley, is a disarming tale of actors in Hollywood that doesn’t require viewers to be MCU experts to be appreciated.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026
He wore old-fashioned spectacles that made him look earnest and completely belied his easygoing charm and juvenile but totally disarming sense of humor.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
