WordGarden.ioperturb
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /pətˈɜːb/
US
- /pərˈtɜrb/
Meanings
Verb
to make someone feel uneasy or unsettled
in mathematics, to change a value, function, or equation slightly from a baseline
in a scientific model, to change an input or parameter from a baseline in order to examine the response
More meaningsFewer meanings
to displace a mechanical system slightly from equilibrium or its reference motion
to disturb an otherwise unspecified physical or technical system from its normal state
Beyond the definition
If something perturbs you, it worries, upsets, or unsettles you - like when a loud noise suddenly breaks the silence, or when someone asks a very difficult question. It's more than mild annoyance; it creates a sense of mental unease. A scientist might be perturbed by unexpected results in an experiment, and a homeowner might be perturbed by strange noises coming from the attic. Think of it as something that throws your peace off balance.
The word comes from Latin roots meaning "to disturb thoroughly." It's often used to describe things that cause anxiety or unease, especially when those things are unexpected or unsettling. You wouldn't say a mosquito bite perturbed you – but a serious threat to your well-being certainly would!
To perturb someone or something means to disturb, unsettle, or throw it off its normal state. In everyday English, it often suggests emotional unease, especially when something unexpected or unwelcome disrupts a person's peace of mind. For example: "The news of the layoffs deeply perturbed the employees," or "She was perturbed by his strange behavior."
But perturb isn't just about feelings. It can also be used in a more technical sense, especially in science and mathematics. In physics, to perturb an orbit means to cause a small change in its normal path - like how gravity from another planet might slightly alter the course of a comet.
The word often carries a sense of being unsettled from within. It's not simply being startled or surprised; it usually points to a deeper kind of discomfort or disorder. A casual inconvenience may not perturb you, but a serious problem or unsettling revelation likely will.
You might say someone is "perturbed by the thought" of something unpleasant happening, or that an event "perturbed their carefully laid plans." It suggests a disruption to equilibrium and a feeling of being thrown off course.
So whether it's a troubling piece of news, a scientific calculation, or a shift in a stable system, perturb is about disruption: it means to unsettle, disturb, or nudge something away from its usual course.
Examples
- 1
Emotional reaction
The angry phone call clearly perturbed him.
- 2
Tone change
She was perturbed by the sudden change in his tone.
- 3
School policy
Several parents were perturbed about the school's new policy.
- Patternperturbed about + issue
worried or unhappy about it
- 4
Published figures
What perturbs me is that no one checked the figures before publishing them.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Science and math
Even a small error can perturb the results of the experiment.
- Domainin science and math, perturb
change something slightly
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- perturb a system
- perturb the balance
- be perturbed by
Word family
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Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- perturbverb
Forms
- perturbedpast tenseverb
- perturbing-ing formverb
- perturbsverb