What does "perturb" mean?
To cause (something) to be physically disordered or disturbed; to cause confusion.
Perturb
/pəˈtɜːb/ verb
verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To cause (something) to be physically disordered or disturbed; to cause confusion.
- Grammar: perturb is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: trouble, abash, abrade, addle.
- Useful contrasts: stabilizing influence, calm, comfort.
- Usage evidence: Magical are the straight lines in how they perturb the curved ones, aggravate their distortion and make them look more zigzagged, revealing their deceptive appearance.
How to use "perturb"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "perturb" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "perturb" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "perturb" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "perturb" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "perturb" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "trouble" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "perturb", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To cause (something) to be physically disordered or disturbed; to cause confusion. transitive
"Mary therefore the more knaue art thou I ſay / That perturbeſt the worde of god I ſay […]"
- 2 throw into great confusion or disorder wordnet
- 3 To disturb (someone, their mind, etc.) mentally; to bother, trouble, upset. transitive
"[…] I have often found / The truth thereof, in my private paſſions: / For I doe never feele my ſelfe perturb'd / VVith any generall vvords 'gainſt my profeſſion, / They doe avvake, and ſtirre me: […]"
- 4 disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed wordnet
- 5 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). transitive
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 cause a celestial body to deviate from a theoretically regular orbital motion, especially as a result of interposed or extraordinary gravitational pull wordnet
- 7 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. transitive
- 8 disturb or interfere with the usual path of an electron or atom wordnet
- 9 To influence (a process or system) so that it deviates from its normal state. transitive
- 10 To bother, to disturb, to trouble. intransitive
"Thy ghoſt O father ſweete, thy greuous ghoſt, / Perturbing in my dremes hath me compeld to ſee this coaſt."
Example
"Magical are the straight lines in how they perturb the curved ones, aggravate their distortion and make them look more zigzagged, revealing their deceptive appearance."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "perturb"?
Common synonyms include: trouble, abash, abrade, addle, addle the wits, affect.
How do you use "perturb" in a sentence?
Magical are the straight lines in how they perturb the curved ones, aggravate their distortion and make them look more zigzagged, revealing their deceptive appearance.
How do you pronounce "perturb"?
Pronounced /pəˈtɜːb/.
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)).