What is the meaning of upsetting?

verb

  • Disturb the balance or stability of.
    • usage: "The hostile talks upset the peaceful relations between the two countries"
  • Cause to lose one's composure.
  • Move deeply.
    • usage: "This book upset me"; "A troubling thought"
  • Cause to overturn from an upright or normal position.
    • usage: "The cat knocked over the flower vase"; "the clumsy customer turned over the vase"; "he tumped over his beer"
  • Form metals with a swage.
  • Defeat suddenly and unexpectedly.
    • usage: "The foreign team upset the local team"

adjective

  • Causing an emotional disturbance.
    • usage: "his disconcerting habit of greeting friends ferociously and strangers charmingly- Herb Caen; "an upsetting experience"
13
 
|15 years ago|1.3k views|share |citing 
APAWordNet. (2010). upsetting. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/upsetting/definitions/1187637
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "upsetting" http://smartdefine.org/upsetting/definitions/1187637 (accessed September 21, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, upsetting, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/upsetting/definitions/1187637>.
MLAWordNet. "upsetting" 23 October 2010. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/upsetting/definitions/1187637>
{ class="autoclick" }next definition (/)