upsetting

adjective

up·​set·​ting (ˌ)əp-ˈse-tiŋ 

: mentally or emotionally troubling or disturbing : causing feelings of worry or anxiety

heard some upsetting news

an upsetting experience

We're up to [a deficit of] $1.5 trillion a year … . These numbers are truly upsetting.

—Bill Gates

Professors issue, or students demand, trigger warnings when presenting material that might be upsetting to some: depictions of rape, sexism, racism, suicide.

—Yvonne Abraham

upsettingly adverb

an upsettingly graphic depiction of violence

In comparison to male historical figures, the number of women that we learn about throughout school is upsettingly low.

—Alexis Gardner

Synonyms of upsetting

• disturbing
• unsettling
• troubling
• frightening

Examples of upsetting in a Sentence

the constant arguing is upsetting to a sensitive person like your grandmother

Recent Examples on the Web

Players and coaches have become maddeningly mealy-mouthed, striving to avoid upsetting agents, sponsors, owners, fans, thin-skinned politicians, and whoever else might object. —Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026

Noribogaine reportedly does not induce the intense, hourslong and sometimes emotionally upsetting high associated with ibogaine. —Erika Edwards, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026

While break-ins such as these are upsetting, the LAPD says property crimes have been on a downward trend. —Jeff Nguyen, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026

And, of course, finding anything wriggling around in your box of cereal or cornmeal is definitely upsetting. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for upsetting

• abetting
• begetting
• besetting
• bloodletting
• briquetting
• forgetting
• offsetting
• pipetting
• regretting
• resetting
• subletting
• typesetting