disquiet
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
disquiets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disquieted,
past participle, past
-
disquieting
present participle
adjective
noun
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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disquietednessnoun
-
disquietingadjective
-
undisquietedadjective
-
disquietedlyadverb
-
disquietinglyadverb
-
disquietlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disquietsimple
-
disquietssimple
-
have disquietedperfect
-
has disquietedperfect
-
am disquietingprogressive
-
are disquietingprogressive
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is disquietingprogressive
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have been disquietingperfect progressive
-
has been disquietingperfect progressive
Past
-
disquietedsimple
-
had disquietedperfect
-
was disquietingprogressive
-
were disquietingprogressive
-
had been disquietingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disquiet
First recorded in 1520–30; dis- 1 + quiet in the sense “freedom from disturbance or tumult”
Explanation
If you feel a sense of disquiet, you're worried or anxious about something. Disquiet at the dinner table means that everyone feels upset or on edge. You can use the word disquiet as a noun or a verb. A feeling of disquiet might fill you as you walk slowly through a truly spooky haunted house. You can also say that a low, frightening sound coming from the room ahead disquiets you. The word dates from the 1500s, a combination of dis, "lack of" or "not" in Latin, and quiet, from the Latin root quietus, "calm, at rest, or free from exertion."
Vocabulary lists containing disquiet
A Thousand Splendid Suns
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Don't Panic! Synonyms for "Stress"
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
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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.
See Examples For:
U.S. stocks ended slightly higher after another tug-of-war day for markets as AI fever contended with Mideast disquiet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
There is also disquiet that his eldest son – a businessman – is on the ballot for a senior party position for the first time.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
The report had caused disquiet in South Korea, where the system is a pillar of national defense against nuclear-armed North Korea.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
Cumming hinted at ongoing global disquiet without going too far or getting too pointed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2026
“I am far from happy, Miss Havisham; but I have other causes of disquiet than any you know of. They are the secrets I have mentioned.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Cromwell identifies: “I have travelled so far to get here, and nothing they do disturbs me now, nor disquiets me, high on my branch.”
From Slate ● Mar. 12, 2020
The Second Half, which is due in the autumn, is billed as a blend of "memoir and motivational writing in a manner which both disquiets and reassures, in Roy Keane's own original voice".
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2014
It is not that," he answered, "that disquiets me.
From The Ravens and the Angels With Other Stories and Parables by Elizabeth Rundle Charles
Thus the pretence of cruelty will be taken off, and the party actually suppressed, and the disquiets they have so often brought upon the nation prevented.
From Political Pamphlets by George Saintsbury
"Monseigneur, the silence you keep every now and then disquiets me."
From The Queen's Necklace by Alexandre Dumas père
The vast fortunes created by men such as Ford have long disquieted many intellectuals and journalists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
Vessel’s lyrics seem disquieted by the attention, though.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2025
Herrera has disquieted many of his fellow Republicans for his edgy humor on his YouTube channel and podcast appearances.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2024
Japanese officials have also been disquieted by a series of joint military exercises conducted by China and Russia in the region.
From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2023
He searched the wound on Frodo’s shoulder with his fingers, and his face grew graver, as if what he learned disquieted him.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
This is what makes Mollen’s reference to dating the toxic man that is her son so disquieting: Why would you tell a 12-year-old boy he’s toxic unless you intend for him to be just that?
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026
The concept came about in 2019, when anonymous users on message board 4chan were asked to "post disquieting images that just feel 'off'."
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
It was those influencers I found most disquieting during my time in Tucson.
From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026
A disquieting collection of animatronics became fixtures in the director’s life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2025
All in all, it was a disquieting episode.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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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.
