unhinging

verb

present participle of unhinge
1
as in disturbing
to cause to go insane or as if insane the endless harassment by the guards completely unhinged the prisoners of war

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in alarming
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy I was momentarily unhinged by the unexpected question

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 unhinging Burmese pythons, which can engulf an entire Presidential golfing party simply by unhinging their (the pythons’) jaws, inhabit the environs of the Gulf of Mexico, and have even been seen swimming offshore. — Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unhinging
  1. disturbing
  2. alarming
  3. deranging
  4. distracting
  5. unbalancing
  6. bothering
  7. unsettling
  8. concerning
Verb
  • Tian took the photo during his biodiversity research on the seaway, using environmental DNA sampling and drone surveys to monitor the ecosystem’s health, without disturbing any of the resident wildlife.
    — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026
  • All three will face a slew of charges, including injuring or removing a tomb or monument, disturbing the contents of a grave or tomb and grand theft, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.
    — Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Verb
  • The development proved alarming enough that OpenAI vowed last week to slow the release of its upcoming Astra AI model.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Found in many foods For consumers, of course, the latest food safety concerns can be alarming given that lettuce and jalapeño peppers are used in many of the roughly 1 billion meals Americans consume daily.
    — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of alarming
Verb
  • Instagram demanded a certain sort of woman and then produced her, deranging broad swaths of the population in the process.
    — Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 11 July 2026
  • Gabriel going missing proves to be deranging to Caroline, and the novel becomes increasingly deranged with her.
    — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Definition of deranging
Verb
  • Women were made to feel that their bodies were somehow offensive, distracting, or inconvenient.
    — Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Now, a cross-sectional study based on a registry of fatal US motor vehicle crashes has found that the love of her albums may have even contributed a statistically significant bump in deadly traffic accidents, presumably by distracting drivers.
    — Mike McRae August 18, New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of distracting
Verb
  • The risk is that only a handful of clubs will be able to cough up those sums, unbalancing the market.
    — Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 19 May 2026
Definition of unbalancing
Verb
  • The one issue that is bothering me at or just before launch is the CPU's Wear and Tear management.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The arnica in this gel can help treat sore muscles, aches, swelling, or other pains that are bothering you, too.
    — Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of bothering
Verb
  • The attack comes just days before fall classes begin at the historically Black university, unsettling students who had recently moved into residence halls and completed freshman orientation events.
    — Patrick Whittle, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • That reshuffle opened the door for Amad, who shone on the right with a bustling performance, unsettling PSG with his sharp dribbling and laying on an assist for Mbeumo.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsettling
Verb
  • Perhaps more concerning is that Milwaukee is on the hook for two more years of the 34-year-old at a hair over $23 million per season.
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Specifically, the order prevents the town and its officials from holding a vote on, approving, adopting or taking any action to implement Resolution 26-25 concerning the Circle T Data Center, including at the special meeting underway on Monday.
    — Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of concerning

Browse Nearby Words

unhinges
unhinging
unhip
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Cite this Entry

“Unhinging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unhinging. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of unhinging for Spanish Speakers

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