disturbed

American  

[dih-sturbd] / dɪˈstɜrbd /

adjective

1. marked by symptoms of mental illness.

   a disturbed personality.

2. agitated or distressed; disrupted.

   disturbed seas; a disturbed situation.

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noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. Usually the disturbed persons who exhibit symptoms of neurosis or psychosis.

disturbed British  

/ dɪˈstɜːbd /

adjective

1. psychiatry emotionally upset, troubled, or maladjusted

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Other Word Forms

• undisturbed adjective

Etymology

Origin of disturbed

First recorded in 1585–95; disturb + -ed ²

Explanation

If something is disturbed, it's been moved or changed — it's not positioned or functioning the way it usually does. Traveling across the globe gives many people disturbed sleep patterns. If your younger brother has been snooping in your room, the only evidence might be the disturbed items on your desk — maybe he rifled through your diary and left it in a different spot. When people are described as disturbed, it means they're troubled emotionally. The word comes from the Latin disturbare, "throw into disorder," and its root turba, "turmoil."

Example Sentences

“To have this intensely coherent collection disturbed by this brazen theft is a tragedy.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

I spent 17 years at the helm of the California Air Resources Board, and I am deeply disturbed by the potential co-opting of public input processes using forgery through automated tools.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

He retired in 2023 and was disturbed to learn from former colleagues that the office was shutting down the open union probes.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

"If the main raw material is disturbed, the whole industry is disturbed," Dulera told AFP.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

The children were inconsolable, and Mr. Bhaer’s hair stuck straight up all over his head, for he always rumpled it wildly when disturbed in mind.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Related Words

• agitated
• troubled