unsettle
verb (used with object)
to alter from a settled state; cause to be no longer firmly fixed or established; render unstable; disturb.
was unsettling
-
past progressiveof unsettle.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Friday’s agreement with the state attorneys general to delay the merger’s close until after an antitrust trial, which will likely be held in 2027, also was unsettling to shareholders and some employees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Walking around the exposed site was unsettling, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
But the truth is that, for anyone who isn’t already immersed in the aesthetics of the megachurch world, the whole event was unsettling.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2025
I was confident I was being scammed in some way but the idiomatic language and contextual knowledge of Westminster was unsettling.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2024
And yet, in another way, it mattered very much—it was unsettling to hear my parents struggle with English.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
