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
Bill GatesProfessors issue, or students demand, trigger warnings when presenting material that might be upsetting to some: depictions of rape, sexism, racism, suicide.—Yvonne Abraham
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
Alexis Gardner
Examples of upsetting in a Sentence
the constant arguing is upsetting to a sensitive person like your grandmother
Recent Examples on the Web
Witnessing a patient’s death, respondents said, was not in itself upsetting.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
The removal of the storyline has been understandably upsetting to many, especially when the character is still being used in promotional materials.
—James Factora, Them, 14 Mar. 2025
In those services, candor is sacrificed for platitude and honesty is replaced by careful calculations intended to avoid upsetting political leaders.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2025
The Academy, based out of Westminster, reached its first Great 8 in recent memory after upsetting No. 8 Denver West and No. 9 Holy Family in succession.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upsetting
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Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
The removal of the storyline has been understandably upsetting to many, especially when the character is still being used in promotional materials.
—James Factora, Them, 14 Mar. 2025
In those services, candor is sacrificed for platitude and honesty is replaced by careful calculations intended to avoid upsetting political leaders.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2025
The Academy, based out of Westminster, reached its first Great 8 in recent memory after upsetting No. 8 Denver West and No. 9 Holy Family in succession.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for upsetting
Cite this Entry
“Upsetting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upsetting. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
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