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[ adjective ] causing distress or worry or anxiety
Examples "distressing (or disturbing) news" "lived in heroic if distressful isolation" "a revelation that was most perturbing" "a new and troubling thought" "a worrisome predicament" "a worrying time" Used in print (Howard Nemerov, "Themes and Methods: The Early...)Piepsam is grotesque , a disturbing parody ; his end is ridiculous and trivial . (A. N. Nagaraj and L. M. Black, "Localization of...)In all cases a disturbing amount of nonspecific staining was still present although it was still distinguishable from specific fluorescence . After * * f and * * f were passed_through Dowex-2-chloride twice and treated twice with healthy sweet_clover tissue powder , nonspecific staining was greatly reduced but a disturbing amount of such staining was still present . (James Thurber, "The Future, If Any, of Comedy,"...)It now means ominous , as when one speaks of a funny sound in the motor ; disturbing , as when one says that a friend is acting funny ; and frightening , as when a wife tells the police that it is funny , but her husband has n't been home for two days and nights '' . Related terms |
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