unsettle

Language: en

🇺🇸 /əˈnsɛtəl/

📖 Definitions

  1. verb
    To make someone feel anxious, uneasy, or disturbed.; To cause something to become less stable or certain; to disrupt.; To disturb the settled state or order of something.; To cause to move from a fixed position; to dislodge.

🔗 Details

Word forms

3rd sing.: unsettles Past: unsettled Past part.: unsettled Pres part.: unsettling

Collocations

unsettle someonedeeply unsettleunsettle the mindunsettle the marketunsettle one's nerves

Derivatives

unsettledunsettlingunsettlement

Synonyms

disturbdisquietperturbunnerveagitatediscompose

Antonyms

settlecalmreassurecomfort

Commonly confused

upset
EN: 'upset' is broader and more common, covering emotional distress and physical disruption; 'unsettle' specifically implies a loss of stability or composure.
disquiet
EN: 'disquiet' is more formal and often used as a noun; 'unsettle' is primarily a verb and suggests a more active disturbance.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember the double 't' is retained in inflected forms: 'unsettled', 'unsettling'.

💬 Examples

  1. The strange noises in the old house unsettled the children.

  2. The scandal unsettled the government's hold on power.

  3. The new regulations unsettled the established market.

  4. The earthquake unsettled the foundations of the bridge.