What is another word for upsetting?

Need synonyms for upsetting? Here's a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead.

Contexts ▼

Adjective

Causing distress or discomfort

Offensive in nature

Causing embarrassment or unease

Causing or tending to cause disruption

Causing, likely to cause, or capable or causing, harm or injury

Inconsiderate and harsh to others

Discordant

Causing disruption or annoyance through being unwelcome or uninvited

Causing surprising negative emotions

Verb

To be irritating or upsetting, typically with repeated or unpleasant acts

To be triggering a passionate feeling or reaction

Present participle for to disturb mentally or emotionally

Present participle for to cause disarray or disorganization in the order of

Present participle for to knock over something

Present participle for to defeat in unexpected circumstances

Present participle for to cause disorder in

Noun

A change to an opposite direction, position, or course of action

Disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process

The state of being bewildered or unclear in one's mind about something

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Adjective

▲

Causing distress or discomfort

agonizing^US

agonising^UK

sombre^UK

somber^US

unsavoury^UK

unsavory^US

unfavorable^US

enough to try the patience of a saint

enough to drive you up the wall

bedevilling^UK

humourless^UK

humorless^US

meagre^UK

meager^US

bedeviling^US

terrorizing^US

terrorising^UK

agonized^US

agonised^UK

gruelling^UK

ill-favored^US

gray^US

grey^UK

grueling^US

anemic^US

anaemic^UK

emotionally exhausting

not encouraging

emotionally depleting

more ❯

“Martin has just gone through a painful and upsetting divorce.”

Adjective

Offensive in nature

unsavoury^UK

unsavory^US

strictly for the birds

ill-favored^US

more ❯

“Sally still hasn't forgiven you for that upsetting comment you made about her derriere.”

Adjective

▲

Causing embarrassment or unease

dishonoring^US

more ❯

Adjective

▲

Causing or tending to cause disruption

without law and order

impossible to cope with

off straight and narrow

unreliable

meandering

errable

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Adjective

▲

Causing, likely to cause, or capable or causing, harm or injury

unfavorable^US

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Adjective

▲

Inconsiderate and harsh to others

with a heart of stone

ill-humored^US

unsavory^US

uncivilized^US

unsavoury^UK

uncivilised^UK

gray^US

grey^UK

speaking as one finds

plain-spoken

calling a spade a spade

meager^US

meagre^UK

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Adjective

Discordant

more ❯

Adjective

▲

Causing disruption or annoyance through being unwelcome or uninvited

inquiring^US

enquiring^UK

chiseling^US

chiselling^UK

burning with curiosity

more ❯

Adjective

▲

Causing surprising negative emotions

Verb

▲

To be irritating or upsetting, typically with repeated or unpleasant acts

bedeviling^US

bedevilling^UK

rubbing up the wrong way

driving to distraction

getting under your skin

getting up your nose

getting your goat

giving someone grief

giving someone the hump

hacking off

making your blood boil

driving round the bend

driving round the twist

getting your dander up

hacking you off

heating up

making someone see red

getting on your nerves

giving someone the pip

putting your back up

hitting where one lives

getting on someone's nerves

getting someone's wick

ruffling someone's feathers

making someone's blood boil

getting in someone's hair

rattling someone's cage

getting someone's dander up

getting on one's nerves

trying someone's patience

getting on someone's tits

getting up someone's nose

getting someone's hackles up

getting under someone's skin

getting someone's goat

making someone's hackles rise

getting someone's back up

agonizing^US

giving someone a hard time

agonising^UK

victimizing^US

victimising^UK

tyrannizing^US

rubbing the wrong way

tyrannising^UK

discriminating against

terrorizing^US

breathing down someone's neck

terrorising^UK

bending someone's ear

criticizing^US

brutalizing^US

tantalizing^US

brutalising^UK

tantalising^UK

rubbing you up the wrong way

criticising^UK

causing agony to

getting under one's skin

making things hot for someone

dishonoring^US

sticking in one's craw

getting in one's hair

setting one's teeth on edge

driving you up the wall

getting on somebody's nerves

wearing on

doing an injustice to

exercising

infesting

putting down

putting someone's nose out of joint

showing antagonism to

feeling ill will towards

showing ill will towards

bearing a grudge towards

ruffling one's feathers

getting your hackles up

punishing repeatedly and unfairly

putting your nose out of joint

mixing up

wigging

getting someone

trying the patience of

bringing pressure to bear on

ridiculing

jarring upon

setting your teeth on edge

trying one's patience

rubbing one the wrong way

inflicting anguish on

getting a rise out of

upsetting the apple cart

getting in the hair of

razzing

getting on the nerves of

taking the mickey out of

taking the piss out of

messing with

nailing to cross

hanging on a cross

leading someone a merry dance

playing cat and mouse

boning

putting through wringer

rubbing salt in wound

getting across someone

quarreling^US

quarrelling^UK

putting someone off their stroke

causing someone to lose their composure

giving someone the works

inflicting pain on

working over

inflicting suffering on

stepping on the toes of

storming

sieging

jumping on one's case

putting the squeeze on

giving one the business

leaving no stone unturned

searching high heaven

libeling^US

libelling^UK

playing the heavy with

messing over

riding roughshod over

demonizing^US

making it hot for someone

exiling

sticking the knife into

expelling

dragooning

getting the knife into

doing a disservice to

demonising^UK

having your knife into

finding fault

moaning on at

keeping complaining to

taking it out on

moaning at

egging

more ❯

Verb

▲

To be triggering a passionate feeling or reaction

galvanizing^US

energising^UK

energizing^US

galvanising^UK

Verb

Present participle for to disturb mentally or emotionally

hurting somebody's feelings

“She was highly sensitive, and we were constantly walking on eggshells trying not to upset her.”

Verb

▲

Present participle for to cause disarray or disorganization in the order of

“The ship trembled slightly, enough to make one lose their balance, but not enough to upset anything.”

Verb

▲

Present participle for to knock over something

“Willie sprang on the top of the table and upset the bottle of ink upon Martha's manuscript.”

Verb

▲

Present participle for to defeat in unexpected circumstances

“A rank outsider would upset the reigning champion.”

Verb

▲

Present participle for to cause disorder in

throwing into confusion

throwing into disorder

throwing out

turning topsy-turvy

“Many activists and researchers claim that constant human intervention will upset the balance of nature.”

Noun

▲

A change to an opposite direction, position, or course of action

cancelation^US

canceling^US

cancelling^UK

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Noun

▲

Disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process

Noun

▲

The state of being bewildered or unclear in one's mind about something

skepticism^US

scepticism^UK

lack of comprehension

state of bewilderment

state of disorientation

state of stupefaction

lack of understanding

dishonor^US

dishonour^UK

state of perturbation

source of consternation

kick in the teeth

source of distress

a bolt out of the blue

source of amazement

a bolt from the blue

more ❯

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What is another word for upsetting?

Need synonyms for upsetting? Here's a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead.

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