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.
Beyond its source material, several compositional choices lend the Fantasy its disarming sincerity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
She was a disarming contradiction: manufactured and utterly sincere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
A man who was hailed a hero for disarming one of the Bondi Beach shooters in December has had assault charges against him dropped by police.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Fruit seller Ahmed al Ahmed was hailed as a hero after footage showed him disarming a gunman during the December 14 attack, which killed 15 people at a Jewish festival.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
The disarming simplicity of the statement, combined with its quasi-Delphic character, has made the Farewell Address a perennial candidate for historical commentary.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
