From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Disturb \Dis*turb"\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Disturbed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Disturbing}.] [OE. desturben, destourben, OF. destorber, desturber, destourber, fr. L. disturbare, disturbatum; dis- + turbare to disturb, trouble, turba disorder, tumult, crowd. See {Turbid}.]
1. To throw into disorder or confusion; to derange; to interrupt the settled state of; to excite from a state of rest.
Preparing to disturb With all-cofounding war the realms above. --Cowper.
The bellow's noise disturbed his quiet rest. --Spenser.
The utmost which the discontented colonies could do, was to disturb authority. --Burke.
2. To agitate the mind of; to deprive of tranquillity; to disquiet; to render uneasy; as, a person is disturbed by receiving an insult, or his mind is disturbed by envy.
3. To turn from a regular or designed course. [Obs.]
And disturb His inmost counsels from their destined aim. --Milton.
Syn: To disorder; disquiet; agitate; discompose; molest; perplex; trouble; incommode; ruffle.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
adjective
1: causing distress or worry or anxiety; "distressing (or disturbing) news"; "lived in heroic if something distressful isolation"; "a disturbing amount of crime"; "a revelation that was most perturbing"; "a new and troubling thought"; "in a particularly worrisome predicament"; "a worrying situation"; "a worrying time" [syn: {distressing}, {distressful}, {perturbing}, {troubling}, {worrisome}, {worrying}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
100 Moby Thesaurus words for "disturbing": aggravating, agitating, alarming, annoying, awkward, baffling, bewildering, bothering, bothersome, breathtaking, chafing, charged, cliff-hanging, confounding, confusing, crushing, discomposing, disconcerting, dismaying, disquieting, distracting, distressful, distressing, electric, embarrassing, enigmatic, exasperating, exciting, exhilarating, fretting, galling, galvanic, harassing, heady, heart-expanding, heart-stirring, heart-swelling, heart-thrilling, humiliating, importunate, importune, impressive, inflammatory, intoxicating, intricate, irking, irksome, irritating, jarring, jolting, maddening, mind-blowing, mortifying, moving, mysterious, mystifying, overcoming, overmastering, overpowering, overwhelming, perplexing, perturbing, pesky, pestering, pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, piquant, plaguesome, plaguey, plaguing, problematic, provocative, provoking, puzzling, ravishing, soul-stirring, spirit-stirring, stimulating, stimulative, stirring, striking, suspenseful, suspensive, tantalizing, teasing, telling, thrilling, thrilly, tiresome, tormenting, troublesome, troubling, unsettling, upsetting, vexatious, vexing, wearisome, worrisome, worrying
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