“Sherron had uncovered some unsettling news about the company finances and some potentially damaging ways that finances were being handled by the chief financial officer.”

Adjective

▲

Causing distress, sadness or anxiety

dreadful

agonizing^US

sombre^UK

somber^US

agonising^UK

humourless^UK

humorless^US

unfavorable^US

unsavory^US

unsavoury^UK

demoralized^US

gray^US

grey^UK

demoralised^UK

meagre^UK

meager^US

ill-favored^US

more ❯

Adjective

▲

Causing shock or amazement

more ❯

Adjective

▲

Tending to cause disharmony among a group

Adjective

Not clear as lacking order, chaotic, etc.

difficult to understand

full of twists and turns

impossible to understand

not easily understood

gray^US

grey^UK

ravelled^UK

too hard to understand

too difficult to understand

raveled^US

laboured^UK

labored^US

skilful^UK

skillful^US

flakey^US

flaky^UK

marvellous^UK

marvelous^US

customized^US

specialized^US

unsavoury^UK

unsavory^US

potentially dishonest

phony^US

specialised^UK

customised^UK

phoney^UK

impossible to interpret

off-colour^UK

off-color^US

like nothing on earth

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Adjective

▲

(of language) Offensive or vulgar

unsavory^US

unsavoury^UK

off-colour^UK

off-color^US

Noun

Disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process

Noun

▲

The state of being bewildered or unclear in one's mind about something

skepticism^US

scepticism^UK

lack of comprehension

state of stupefaction

state of bewilderment

state of disorientation

dishonour^UK

dishonor^US

lack of understanding

fight-or-flight reaction

state of perturbation

source of consternation

kick in the teeth

source of distress

a bolt out of the blue

source of amazement

a bolt from the blue

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Verb

▲

Present participle for to make upset or uncomfortable

putting someone off their stroke

pulling the rug from under

pulling the rug out from under

agonizing^US

setting someone back on their heels

putting someone off their stride

bedevilling^UK

bedeviling^US

agonising^UK

causing someone to lose their composure

bustling

stopping someone in their tracks

terrorizing^US

terrorising^UK

putting out of countenance

making someone scratch their head

taking the wind out of your sails

paralysing^UK

paralyzing^US

tantalising^UK

tantalizing^US

causing to be at a stand

scaring the bejesus out of

knocking the stuffing out of

sending over the edge

making self-conscious

balking^US

baulking^UK

pouring cold water on

throwing cold water on

hurting somebody's feelings

taking your breath away

upsetting the applecart

making your gorge rise

making someone want to throw up

turning stomach

making someone feel nauseous

making someone jump out of their skin

giving someone a jolt

giving someone a fright

giving a shock

getting on one's nerves

driving round the bend

rubbing up the wrong way

driving you up the wall

getting on your nerves

teeing off

getting under your skin

driving up the wall

driving to distraction

filling with consternation

messing up

throwing into a tizzy

raising someone's eyebrows

completely surprising

shaking out of your complacency

hitting like ton of bricks

filling with fear

chilling to the bone

striking terror into

giving someone goose pimples

chilling to the marrow

threatening

throwing into tizzy

ruining

throwing into a panic

giving someone the heebie-jeebies

scaring the pants off

wrecking

putting the fear of God into

making flesh crawl

frightening the living daylights out of

striking at the foundations

making one's hair stand on end

giving someone the blues

scaring someone out of their wits

scaring the living daylights out of

throwing into a blue funk

dampening spirits

making unhappy

making one's blood run cold

dampening the spirits of

shattering

making someone fed up

curdling the blood

making someone's hair stand on end

making someone shake in their shoes

sending into a cold sweat

scaring the life out of

scaring the hell out of

frightening to death

frightening the life out of

frightening someone out of their wits

making one's flesh creep

giving one the creeps

dumping on

bringing tears to your eyes

filling with loathing

breaking the heart of

defeating

setting back

knocking the wind out of

chastening

slighting

scaring the daylights out of

harshing one's mellow

blinding someone with something

messing with one's head

shattering the illusions of

causing to lose heart

putting someone's nose out of joint

causing offense

treading on someone's toes

getting your goat

deadening

bogarting

setting someone thinking

railroading

pressing

harshing someone's mellow

hanging over

making desolate

bearing down

breaking someone's heart

tyrannizing^US

frightening out of your wits

scaring the pants off of

blanketing

giving someone the hump

tyrannising^UK

casting a shadow over

throwing into a fright

mispleasing

scaring someone half to death

playing dirty

hacking you off

putting one away

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“The flying debris and open sewage were the first of many shocks that would unsettle an unprepared visitor.”

Verb

▲

Present participle for to bring into disorder or disarray

throwing into disorder

throwing into confusion

throwing into disarray

throwing a spanner in the works

throwing a monkey wrench in the works of

bringing into disorder

bringing into disarray

throwing into a state of disorganization

getting into a tangle

upsetting the applecart

ravelling^UK

raveling^US

throwing off

perplexing

more ❯

“If diversity is always imagined in the same ways, it becomes, ironically, homogenized, and loses its power to unsettle established ways of thinking.”

Verb

▲

Present participle for to lead someone astray with one's own actions as an example