unsettle

American  

[uhn-set-l] / ʌnˈsɛt l /

verb (used with object)

unsettled, unsettling

1. to alter from a settled state; cause to be no longer firmly fixed or established; render unstable; disturb.

   Violence unsettled the government.

2. to shake or weaken (beliefs, feelings, etc.); cause doubt or uncertainty about.

   doubts unsettling his religious convictions.

   Synonyms:

   disconcert, confuse, unbalance, disturb, upset

3. to vex or agitate the mind or emotions of; upset; discompose.

   The quarrel unsettled her.

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verb (used without object)

unsettled, unsettling

1. to become unfixed or disordered.

unsettle British  

/ ʌnˈsɛtəl /

verb

1. (usually tr) to change or become changed from a fixed or settled condition

2. (tr) to confuse or agitate (emotions, the mind, etc)

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Other Word Forms

• unsettlement noun

Etymology

Origin of unsettle

First recorded in 1535–45; un- ² + settle ¹

Example Sentences

“It roils the markets,” he said, adding that it unsettles both investors and the legal framework surrounding the Fed.

From Barron's

“It roils the markets,” he said, adding that it unsettles both investors and the legal framework surrounding the Fed.

From Barron's

Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ leads a wide-open field as the Golden Globes offer an early read on an unsettled Oscar season.

From Los Angeles Times

Timing effects, which relate largely to unsettled derivatives, could lower upstream earnings by up to $300 million or boost them by up to $100 million.

From The Wall Street Journal

Far from unsettling Wall Street, the capture was positive.

From Barron's

Related Words

• agitate
• confuse
• disconcert
• disorganize
• disquiet
• disrupt
• disturb
• perturb
• rattle
• unnerve