Crossword Dictionary
Perturb
perturb, perturbed, perturbing, perturbs - verb
to cause to be worried or upset.
Synonyms
agitate, ail, alarm, bother, concern, derail, discomfort, discompose, dismay, disquiet, distemper, distract, distress, disturb, exercise, flurry, frazzle, freak (out), fuss, hagride, undo, unhinge, unsettle, upset, weird out, worry.
sentence examples
“ the caller's strange remark perturbed me enough to keep me awake that nightâ€
“The crowd didn't seem to perturb them in the slightest …â€
Etymology
perturb (v.)
late 14c., perturben, "disturb greatly, disturb mentally; cause disorder in," from Old French perturber "disturb, confuse" (14c.) and directly from Latin perturbare "to confuse, disorder, disturb," especially of states of the mind, from per "through" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through") + turbare "disturb, confuse," from turba "turmoil, crowd" (see turbid).