upset 1 of 3

adjective

(ˌ)əp-ˈset How to pronounce upset (audio)
Definition of upsetnext
as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty she was upset by the unexplained change in plans

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

upset

2 of 3

verb

(ˌ)əp-ˈset How to pronounce upset (audio)
1
as in to worry
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy the smallest things can upset us if we're already stressed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to overturn
to turn on one's side or upside down the narrow boat upsets easily and should be handled with care

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of the change in the bus schedule upset our daily routine

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

upset

3 of 3

noun

ˈəp-ˌset How to pronounce upset (audio)
as in disruption
an act or instance of the order of things being disturbed the move to a new town is just the latest in a series of upsets for my family over the last year

Synonyms & Similar Words

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an upset child
an unhappy child
an agitated child
an emotional child
a distraught child
a perturbed child
upset customers
unhappy customers
displeased customers
unsatisfied customers
outraged customers
angry customers
an upset stomach
a sour stomach
an irritable stomach
an unsettled stomach
an uneasy stomach
a sick stomach

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb upset contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of upset are agitate, discompose, disquiet, disturb, fluster, and perturb. While all these words mean "to destroy capacity for collected thought or decisive action," upset implies the disturbance of normal or habitual functioning by disappointment, distress, or grief.

the family's constant bickering upsets the youngest child

When is it sensible to use agitate instead of upset?

While the synonyms agitate and upset are close in meaning, agitate suggests obvious external signs of nervous or emotional excitement.

in his agitated state we could see he was unable to work

In what contexts can discompose take the place of upset?

Although the words discompose and upset have much in common, discompose implies some degree of loss of self-control or self-confidence especially through emotional stress.

discomposed by the loss of his beloved wife

When can disquiet be used instead of upset?

The synonyms disquiet and upset are sometimes interchangeable, but disquiet suggests loss of sense of security or peace of mind.

the disquieting news of factories closing

When might disturb be a better fit than upset?

In some situations, the words disturb and upset are roughly equivalent. However, disturb implies interference with one's mental processes caused by worry, perplexity, or interruption.

the discrepancy in accounts disturbed me

When could fluster be used to replace upset?

The words fluster and upset are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fluster suggests bewildered agitation.

his declaration of love completely flustered her

When would perturb be a good substitute for upset?

The meanings of perturb and upset largely overlap; however, perturb implies deep disturbance of mind and emotions.

perturbed by her husband's strange behavior

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of upset
Adjective
Even downtown business owners who were spared severe damage were upset and trying to make sense of the destruction. —Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2025 The student body was visibly upset, Nicholas Molinari, president of the Milford Teachers Association, said in an email. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 10 June 2025
Verb
However, after Kelvin was upset by Nahir Albright in their co-main event fight, Keon and Keyshawn both got involved in an altercation with Albright backstage. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2025 On the other hand, despite becoming the first player since Serena Williams in 2016 to reach three consecutive Grand Slam finals, Sabalenka has now lost the last two to American opponents, having been upset by Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January. —Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 7 June 2025
Noun
That outrage failed to materialize in large enough numbers to overturn the outcome in the reliably Republican district, foiling Democrats’ hope to pull off a huge upset that would have buoyed their party. —Kate Payne, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2025 In one of the more shocking upsets in UFC title fight history, Pena submitted Nunes in the second round, ending the Brazilian’s title reign. —Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for upset
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upset
  1. worried
  2. worry
  3. overturn
  4. disrupt
  5. disruption
  6. nervous
  7. disturb
  8. capsize
Adjective
  • Georgia, too, is worried about Ginny's behind-the-scenes machinations.
    — Randall Colburn, EW.com, 7 June 2025
  • The freemium search engine Kagi isn't worried about having the most comprehensive index.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 6 June 2025
Definition of worried
Verb
  • But school officials across the country worry that making lawsuits easier to win will create a more adversarial relationship between parents and schools in the difficult negotiations needed to balance a student’s needs with a school’s limited resources.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 13 June 2025
  • During his imprisonment, Corby worries about whether his beloved wife, Emily, and their daughter, Maisie, can ever forgive him.
    — Anita Snow, Boston Herald, 13 June 2025
Definition of worry
Verb
  • Adeyemi then had a penalty overturned in the 35th minute.
    — Manuel Veth, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
  • But the decision was overturned to a no-contest after Keyshawn tested positive for marijuana.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2025
Definition of overturn
Verb
  • The earthquake disrupted the World Series and damaged the Bay Bridge, Oakland’s Cypress Freeway, and swaths of San Francisco.
    — Terry Collins, USA Today, 8 June 2025
  • Why disrupt a good thing by adding more and presumably inferior teams to the mix?
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 June 2025
Definition of disrupt
Noun
  • These disruptions often result in road closures, traffic spikes and delays across key transit routes, severely affecting delivery schedules.
    — Clemente Theotokis, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • One issue is the impact on commissioning caused by the commercial nets having to navigate a choppy ad market and wider industry disruption.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 9 June 2025
Definition of disruption
Adjective
  • The video highlighted how visibly nervous Jessie was while using jokes to get through the show.
    — Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2025
  • In a video played on Thursday's episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Hamill is shown giving his opening monologue declaring his love for film when a nervous expression crosses his face.
    — Mekishana Pierre Updated, EW.com, 5 June 2025
Definition of nervous
Verb
  • Create Do-Not-Disturb Prompts To Discourage Interruptions Experiment with reducing your availability to interruptions by following specific practices that signal to others you shouldn’t be disturbed.
    — Caroline Ceniza-Levine, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • Perhaps your time off request isn’t approved, or your vacation plans have been disturbed by your colleagues.
    — Liz Simmons, StyleCaster, 27 May 2025
Definition of disturb
Verb
  • This past month, when North Korea launched its second destroyer, the ship capsized, prompting an angry Mr. Kim to order the arrests of several officials.
    — Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 31 May 2025
  • Authorities were notified that the boat capsized near Torrey Pines State Beach in San Diego at around 6:30 a.m. local time, a Coast Guard official told CBS News at the time.
    — Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 31 May 2025
Definition of capsize

Browse Nearby Words

upscale
upset
upsets
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Cite this Entry

“Upset.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upset. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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