- present participle of disturb.
disturbing
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disturbing
Explanation
When something really worries or upsets you, you can describe it as disturbing. War photography is usually disturbing. It can be disturbing to see people be hurt, or a child going hungry: it troubles the person who is witnessing such difficulties. Some strange things are also often described as disturbing, such as bizarre clown art or people who walk around dressed in animal costumes. If it bothers and distresses you, it's disturbing. The Latin root, disturbare, combines dis, "completely," with turbare, "to disorder."
Vocabulary lists containing disturbing
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Mockingbird
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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.
But John’s history is disturbing in a way that’s outside the usual parameters of the Justice League of America.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The findings suggest that some genetic mutations may cause disease not only by changing individual genetic instructions, but also by disturbing the physical arrangement of the genome itself.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
Some saw those disturbing images simply by picking up their mobile devices.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
Miami authorities on Tuesday night responded to a residence after a disturbing video was posted on social media that appeared to involve celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
It was a disturbing image, and one she could not put out of her mind for a good long time, even after the children were asleep.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
