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

Requiring great skill or finesse in handling or treatment

Causing or tending to cause disruption

Inconsiderate and harsh to others

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

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

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

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

unfavorable^US

unsavory^US

unsavoury^UK

humourless^UK

humorless^US

enough to try the patience of a saint

enough to drive you up the wall

bedevilling^UK

bedeviling^US

terrorizing^US

terrorising^UK

agonized^US

agonised^UK

gruelling^UK

ill-favored^US

gray^US

grey^UK

meagre^UK

meager^US

grueling^US

dishonoring^US

emotionally exhausting

emotionally depleting

environmentally unfriendly

more than one can bear

more than flesh and blood can stand

more ❯

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

Adjective

Offensive in nature

unsavoury^UK

unsavory^US

more ❯

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

Adjective

▲

Requiring great skill or finesse in handling or treatment

difficult to understand

full of twists and turns

more ❯

Adjective

▲

Causing or tending to cause disruption

untrammeled^US

obstinately disobedient

without law and order

unfavorable^US

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Adjective

▲

Inconsiderate and harsh to others

with a heart of stone

ill-humored^US

uncivilized^US

accidentally on purpose

uncivilised^UK

unfavorable^US

rubbing the wrong way

gray^US

grey^UK

speaking as one finds

plain-spoken

calling a spade a spade

unsavoury^UK

unsavory^US

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Adjective

▲

Causing disruption or annoyance through being unwelcome or uninvited

chiseling^US

chiselling^UK

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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 someone's goat

getting under your skin

getting up your nose

giving someone grief

giving someone the hump

hacking off

making your blood boil

driving round the bend

driving round the twist

getting someone's dander up

getting your back 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

getting in someone's hair

rattling someone's cage

trying someone's patience

getting on someone's tits

getting someone's hackles up

getting under someone's skin

making someone's hackles rise

getting someone's back up

agonizing^US

victimizing^US

agonising^UK

victimising^UK

tyrannizing^US

bending someone's ear

tyrannising^UK

tantalizing^US

tantalising^UK

breathing down someone's neck

terrorizing^US

terrorising^UK

rubbing the wrong way

ill-using

getting on one's nerves

eating at

making somebody's hackles rise

brutalizing^US

making it hot for someone

brutalising^UK

putting the squeeze on

messing over

raising your hackles

dumping on

riding roughshod over

keeping complaining to

kicking around

stirring up

getting your dander up

rankling with

taking the piss out of

ragging on

preying on your mind

ruffling one's feathers

moaning at

grinding down

making things hot for someone

getting up someone's nose

getting your hackles up

giving someone hell

messing

pushing someon's buttons

getting in the hair of

getting on the nerves of

putting someone's nose out of joint

driving you up the wall

searching high heaven

causing discomfort to

sticking the knife into

expelling

dragooning

getting the knife into

getting a rise out of

setting on

setting off

getting across someone

playing the heavy with

jumping on one's case

discriminating against

dishonoring^US

doing an injustice to

giving no quarter

stepping on the toes of

crushing

pressurizing^US

putting pressure on

bringing pressure to bear on

playing cat and mouse

putting through wringer

rubbing salt in wound

ruling with a rod of iron

bringing under the yoke

ruling with an iron hand

bringing someone to their knees

satirizing^US

criticizing^US

criticising^UK

busting someone's balls

pulling someone's leg

satirising^UK

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

getting on your wick

“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

▲

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

Noun

▲

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

cancelation^US

canceling^US

cancelling^UK

more ❯

Noun

▲

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

skepticism^US

lack of comprehension

scepticism^UK

state of bewilderment

state of disorientation

lack of understanding

state of stupefaction

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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Related Words and Phrases

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.

Related Words and Phrases

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