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
Synonyms
Examples of upsetting in a Sentence
the constant arguing is upsetting to a sensitive person like your grandmother
Recent Examples on the Web
Just as upsetting as their encounters with the protesters, the three workers recounted in interviews this week, was their feeling that the university had not done enough to prevent the attack or to help them once the building was under siege.
—Sharon Otterman, New York Times, 8 May 2024
Releasing more adults would populate new areas, potentially upsetting ranchers and neighboring residents.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 3 May 2024
Even with the best intentions of showing the perseverance of the human spirit and how love finds a way, these were highly upsetting events that led to massive generational trauma.
—Amber Dowling, Variety, 2 May 2024
TikTok prioritizes more sensationalist content designed to grab your attention quickly; that can lead to a higher rate of interaction with upsetting, anxiety-inducing content like horror and death.
—Melanie Curry, Peoplemag, 1 May 2024
Nevertheless, here in the U.S., in 2022, 32.1 percent of live births were Cesarean, a surgery that can be upsetting to have and difficult to recover from for new moms.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 22 Apr. 2024
An important but upsetting read—one that’s both incredibly reported and beautifully written by Stephanie McCrummen.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 11 Apr. 2024
Supporting trauma healing in the workplace While support may be provided in the workplace right after a tragic event like a natural disaster, a loss, or another upsetting event, many people aren’t able to start processing until months or years later.
—Jess Cording, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
After upsetting Pac-12 regular-season champion Stanford in the conference tournament final to win their first conference title since 2014, the Trojans claimed their highest NCAA tournament seed since 1986, when Cheryl Miller led them to the national championship game as a senior.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024
Sharon Otterman, New York Times, 8 May 2024
Releasing more adults would populate new areas, potentially upsetting ranchers and neighboring residents.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 3 May 2024
Even with the best intentions of showing the perseverance of the human spirit and how love finds a way, these were highly upsetting events that led to massive generational trauma.
—Amber Dowling, Variety, 2 May 2024
TikTok prioritizes more sensationalist content designed to grab your attention quickly; that can lead to a higher rate of interaction with upsetting, anxiety-inducing content like horror and death.
—Melanie Curry, Peoplemag, 1 May 2024
Nevertheless, here in the U.S., in 2022, 32.1 percent of live births were Cesarean, a surgery that can be upsetting to have and difficult to recover from for new moms.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 22 Apr. 2024
An important but upsetting read—one that’s both incredibly reported and beautifully written by Stephanie McCrummen.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 11 Apr. 2024
Supporting trauma healing in the workplace While support may be provided in the workplace right after a tragic event like a natural disaster, a loss, or another upsetting event, many people aren’t able to start processing until months or years later.
—Jess Cording, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
After upsetting Pac-12 regular-season champion Stanford in the conference tournament final to win their first conference title since 2014, the Trojans claimed their highest NCAA tournament seed since 1986, when Cheryl Miller led them to the national championship game as a senior.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'upsetting.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near upsetting
Cite this Entry
“Upsetting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upsetting. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
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