disturbed
Americanadjective
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marked by symptoms of mental illness.
a disturbed personality.
-
agitated or distressed; disrupted.
disturbed seas; a disturbed situation.
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of disturbed
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Disturbed REM sleep can also lead to impairments in the consolidation of memories, cognitive function and how you regulate your emotions.
From Salon • Jan. 20, 2025
Disturbed by an eerily silent crowd, France stirred and Damian Penaud burst into life to score his 36th try in 49 international games.
From BBC • Feb. 3, 2024
In July, heavy metal band Disturbed postponed its concert, saying equipment wouldn’t work in metro Phoenix’s excessive heat.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 29, 2023
Disturbed by the noise and risk of errant gunfire, nearly 40 of them supported a petition demanding that the range be shut down, the Southern Maryland News reported.
From Washington Post • Dec. 27, 2022
Disturbed as if out of some gloating dream by his small yell she turned slowly the dreadful malice of her glance upon him.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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.
