disquiet
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
adjective
noun
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
- disquietedly adverb
- disquietedness noun
- disquieting adjective
- disquietingly adverb
- disquietly adverb
- undisquieted adjective
Etymology
Origin of disquiet
First recorded in 1520–30; dis- 1 + quiet in the sense “freedom from disturbance or tumult”
Explanation
If you feel a sense of disquiet, you're worried or anxious about something. Disquiet at the dinner table means that everyone feels upset or on edge. You can use the word disquiet as a noun or a verb. A feeling of disquiet might fill you as you walk slowly through a truly spooky haunted house. You can also say that a low, frightening sound coming from the room ahead disquiets you. The word dates from the 1500s, a combination of dis, "lack of" or "not" in Latin, and quiet, from the Latin root quietus, "calm, at rest, or free from exertion."
Vocabulary lists containing disquiet
A Thousand Splendid Suns
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Don't Panic! Synonyms for "Stress"
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The report had caused disquiet in South Korea, where the system is a pillar of national defense against nuclear-armed North Korea.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
They said, such is their "disquiet" at what has occurred, that they are "considering resigning from this case".
From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026
One might dismiss these expressions of disquiet as mere “vibes,” but the raw figures bear them out.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2025
“I’m not sure it will completely satisfy the public disquiet but it’s at least something,” Andrew Lownie, the historian and author of “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York,” told the BBC.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025
A mild sense of disquiet passed over me.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
