upsetting

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upset

Upsetting means feeling sad or unhappy because something unpleasant has happened.

When someone experiences an upsetting event, like losing their job or going through a breakup, they might feel down for a while. It's common to use "upsetting" when describing situations that are difficult to handle or cause strong emotions. For example, if a friend tells you about a serious car accident they were in, you might say it was really upsetting.

How common is "upsetting"?

Word upsetting is considered rare in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

verb

To make (a person) angry, distressed, or unhappy.
Example: I’m sure the bad news will upset him, but he needs to know.
To disturb, disrupt or adversely alter (something).
Example: Introducing a foreign species can upset the ecological balance.
To tip or overturn (something).
To defeat unexpectedly.
Example: Truman upset Dewey in the 1948 US presidential election.
To be upset or knocked over.
Example: The carriage upset when the horse bolted.
To set up; to put upright.
To thicken and shorten, as a heated piece of iron, by hammering on the end.
To shorten (a tire) in the process of resetting, originally by cutting it and hammering on the ends.

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noun

The action of the verb upset.

adjective

Causing upset; distressing.
Example: He found taking his cat to the vet to be put down very upsetting.
Conceited; presumptuous.

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Real examples of "upsetting" in context

Tom Cruise on Doing Incredibly Dangerous Stunts, Mission Impossible & Top Gun with Val Kilmer

Interview

To her, was it upsetting?

11:44

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