disquietude
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of disquietude
Explanation
Sometimes, maybe for no reason at all, you might become agitated with a feeling of restless agitation. This feeling is a sense of disquietude, an edgy feeling that something in your universe is out of order. If you break down the word disquietude you come to its root word, quiet, which means still or noiseless. The dis- prefix means "not," giving it the opposite meaning, and the ending -tude makes it a state of being. So the word literally means "state of being unquiet." For example, it was said in the Washington Post that the 19th-20th-century artist Edward Hopper's paintings present a picture of the disquietude, or uneasiness, of American life.
Vocabulary lists containing disquietude
Into the Wild
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!
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
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!
Bless Me, Ultima
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.
“Murderbot,” on the other hand, earns that superlative by tickling us with the thought that while our disquietude about AI’s takeover is legitimate, machines are in no way prepared for every aspect of it.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2025
The suggestion of disquietude among donors met a vehement response from a lawyer who claimed to be representing a “large group of significant donors to Project Veritas.”
From Washington Post ● Feb. 20, 2023
But in times when I feel swells of disquietude, I don’t try to suppress them.
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2021
The front-runner for Best Play is probably Stephen Karam’s bleak and revelatory drama “The Humans,” which has much to say, albeit indirectly, about the disquietude driving this election season.
From The New Yorker ● May 3, 2016
In the morning my father’s disquietude was proven.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
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.
