English Explanatory Dictionary

perturb

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb

To cause (something) to be physically disordered or disturbed; to cause confusion.
To disturb (someone, their mind, etc.) mentally; to bother, trouble, upset.
Of a celestial body: to modify the motion or orbit of (another celestial body) by exerting a gravitational force; hence (physics), to slightly modify (the motion of an object).
To slightly modify (a set of equations or their solutions), producing deviations from a simple, easily solvable problem, in order to find an approximate solution to a problem that is more difficult to solve or otherwise unsolvable.
To influence (a process or system) so that it deviates from its normal state.
To bother, to disturb, to trouble.

Pronunciation

/pəˈtɜːb/ /pəɹˈtɜɹb/ En-us-perturb.ogg

Word forms

perturb perturbs perturbing perturbed no-table-tags glossary perturbest perturbedst perturbeth

Etymology

From Late Middle English perturben (“to disturb (someone) mentally, disquiet; to cause disorder to (something), confuse; to hinder (something)”), from Old French perturber, and from its etymon Latin perturbāre, the present active infinitive of perturbō (“to confuse; to alarm, disturb, trouble, perturb”), from per- (intensifying prefix) + turbō (“to agitate, disturb, unsettle, perturb; to upset”) (from turba (“disorder, disturbance, turmoil”) (possibly from Ancient Greek τῠ́ρβη (tŭ́rbē, “confusion, disorder, tumult”), either from Pre-Greek, or Proto-Indo-European *(s)twerH- (“to agitate, stir up; to urge on, propel”)) + -ō (suffix forming infinitives of regular first-conjugation verbs)).

Synonyms

derange disturb unsettle addle baffle lose embroil stick stump baffound bamboozle bedevil befuddle throw bemud bemuse bewilder bumfuzzle complicate confound confuddle confuse confuzzle dazzle discombobulate disconcert blind dumbfound entangle ferhoodle flabagast flabbergast flabbergaster flurry fluster flummox fuddle jumble knot mix up muddle muddy ravel perplex puzzle agitate distress freak bother bring down discompose enturbulate mortify perturb put out ruffle throw off balance upset

Antonyms

besoothe cheer comfort console solace soothe

Related words

disturb perturbance perturbant perturbation perturbational perturbative perturbatively perturbator

Derived words

deperturb perturbability perturbable perturbagen perturbed perturbedly perturber perturbing perturbment reperturb unperturbed

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