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.

---

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)

---

Other Word Forms

• unsettlement noun

Etymology

Origin of unsettle

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

Explanation

To unsettle is to make someone feel disconcerted and disturbed. After you watch a scary horror movie, every little sound in your dark house will probably unsettle you. Things that leave you uneasy or anxious unsettle you, whether you receive a creepy prank phone call or have to start at a new school after moving in the middle of the year. A spooky mystery novel might unsettle you, especially if you read it at night, while falling stock prices tend to unsettle Wall Street experts. Use this verb whenever things feel upsetting and unstable.

Example Sentences

Martinez wants his signs to unsettle viewers who are insulated from the city’s unrest.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

These tensions could unsettle production in electric vehicles and defence equipment too, says Naoki Hattori, chief Japan economist at Mizuho.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026

The left-handed Munsey started briskly with a flurry of fours to unsettle the Italy attack in the first six overs of the powerplay.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

Even better, he has used his beauty not to become a matinee idol but to unsettle and surprise us, portraying characters whose handsomeness is very much the point but not the whole story.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Even bad news could unsettle the humors and cause illness.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

Related Words

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