perturb

[ per-turb ]

verb (used with object)

1. to disturb or disquiet greatly in mind; agitate:

   I can see how such a massive change in your routine would perturb you.

   Synonyms: worry, trouble

   Antonyms: pacify

2. to throw into great disorder:

   Huge construction projects can take years to finish, and meanwhile, can greatly perturb the neighborhood.

   Synonyms: muddle, disarrange, confuse

3. Astronomy. to cause perturbation in the orbit of (a celestial body).

perturb

/ pəˈtɜːb /

verb

1. to disturb the composure of; trouble
2. to throw into disorder
3. physics astronomy to cause (a planet, electron, etc) to undergo a perturbation

Derived Forms

• perˈturbingly, adverb
• perˈturbing, adjective
• perˈturbably, adverb
• perˈturbable, adjective

Other Words From

• per·turb·a·ble adjective
• per·turb·a·bil·i·ty [per-tur-b, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
• per·tur·ba·tious [pur-ter-, bey, -sh, uh, s], adjective
• per·tur·ba·tor [pur, -ter-bey-ter], per·turb·er noun
• per·turb·ing·ly adverb
• per·turb·ment noun
• non·per·turb·a·ble adjective
• non·per·turb·ing adjective
• un·per·turb·a·ble adjective
• un·per·turb·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of perturb¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English perturben (from Old French perturber ), from Latin perturbāre “to throw into confusion,” from per- per- + turbāre “to agitate, confuse” ( turbid )

Word History and Origins

Origin of perturb¹

C14: from Old French pertourber, from Latin perturbāre to confuse, from per- (intensive) + turbāre to agitate, from turba confusion

Example Sentences

For example, a chemical system can be metastable for extended periods of time, when it becomes trapped in a high energy state, until outside influences are sufficient to perturb and disrupt the stability of the trapped species.

From Science Daily

"The tool uses a technique of adversarial AI that was originally part of the cybercriminals' toolbox, but now we're using it to defend against them. We mess up the recorded audio signal just a little bit, distort or perturb it just enough that it still sounds right to human listeners, but it's completely different to AI."

From Science Daily

John Krystal, MD, Editor of Biological Psychiatry, commented, "The biology of schizophrenia is very complex and yet two themes represented by these two studies seem to be very important: the increased rate of elimination of glutamatergic synapses during development, and disturbances in the signaling properties of these glutamate synapses. These two disturbances could perturb circuit function in ways that are critical to development of symptoms and cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia."

From Science Daily

As he notes, this research took place under artificial laboratory conditions, which could “perturb” the animals’ natural behavior.

From Science Magazine

"This observation is different from previous models where boundaries were assumed to perturb the order," he continues.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• agitate
• alarm
• annoy
• bewilder
• confound
• confuse
• disconcert
• dismay
• disturb
• fluster
• irritate
• muddle
• perplex
• vex