unsettle

[ uhn-set-l ]
See synonyms for unsettle on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),un·set·tled, un·set·tling.
  1. to alter from a settled state; cause to be no longer firmly fixed or established; render unstable; disturb: Violence unsettled the government.

  2. to shake or weaken (beliefs, feelings, etc.); cause doubt or uncertainty about: doubts unsettling his religious convictions.

  1. to vex or agitate the mind or emotions of; upset; discompose: The quarrel unsettled her.

verb (used without object),un·set·tled, un·set·tling.
  1. to become unfixed or disordered.

Origin of unsettle

1
First recorded in 1535–45; un-2 + settle1

Other words for unsettle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use unsettle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for unsettle

unsettle

/ (ʌnˈsɛtəl) /


verb
  1. (usually tr) to change or become changed from a fixed or settled condition

  2. (tr) to confuse or agitate (emotions, the mind, etc)

Derived forms of unsettle

  • unsettlement, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012