DISTURBING

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does disturbing mean? 

• DISTURBING (adjective)
  The adjective DISTURBING has 1 sense:

1. causing distress or worry or anxiety

  Familiarity information: DISTURBING used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DISTURBING (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Causing distress or worry or anxiety

Synonyms:

distressful; distressing; disturbing; perturbing; troubling; worrisome; worrying

Context example:

a worrying time

Similar:

heavy (marked by great psychological weight; weighted down especially with sadness or troubles or weariness)

 Context examples 

A disorder characterized by a disturbing sensation of lightheadedness, unsteadiness, giddiness, spinning or rocking.

(Dizziness, NCI Thesaurus/CTCAE)

It localizes to keratin filaments and so may have a role in virus release by disturbing the integrity of the infected cell.

(Papillomavirus Protein E4, NCI Thesaurus)

The April 25, 2015, magnitude 7.8 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal created waves of energy that penetrated into Earth's upper atmosphere in the vicinity of Nepal, disturbing the distribution of electrons in the ionosphere.

(GPS Data Show How Nepal Quake Disturbed Earth’s Upper Atmosphere, NASA)

He who delights the most lives the most, and your dreams and unrealities are less disturbing to you and more gratifying than are my facts to me.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

"Jane, Jane," said he, stopping before me, "you are quite pale with your vigils: don't you curse me for disturbing your rest?"

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

When he had finished, she turned her eyes so as to command Miss Murdstone, without otherwise disturbing her attitude, and said: Well, ma'am, have YOU got anything to remark?

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Acinetobacter glutaminase-asparaginase (AGA) possesses both L-glutaminase and L-asparaginase activities, capable of hydrolyzing glutamine and asparagine, thereby disturbing nitrogen supplies for dividing cells.

(Glutaminase-Asparaginase, NCI Thesaurus)

Grit in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one of his own high-power lenses, would not be more disturbing than a strong emotion in a nature such as his.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I leave it to your judgment whether it was possible for the thief to have come up here without disturbing us.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I presume that the sanguine temperament itself and the disturbing influence end in a mentally-accomplished finish; a possibly dangerous man, probably dangerous if unselfish.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)