English

A woman looking worried

Noun

disquiet ‎(uncountable)

1. Want of quiet; want of tranquility in body or mind; anxiety, disturbance, restlessness, uneasiness.

   The lady exhibited disquiet of mind. In other words, she’d gone a bit mad.‎

   • 1818, anonymous [Mary Shelley], Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, London: Printed for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, OCLC 830979744:

     My journey had been my own suggestion, and Elizabeth therefore acquiesced, but she was filled with disquiet at the idea of my suffering, away from her, the inroads of misery and grief.

   • 1874, Debates of the House of Deputies in the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Held in New York City, October, A.D. 1874, as Reported for “The Churchman,” by D. F. Murphy & Co., Hartford, Conn.: M. H. Mallory and Company, Printers, OCLC 18081025, page 290:

     I wish to say in regard to the alleged matter of disquiet in this Church, that when I received the postal card that was sent, I suppose, to all the clergy of the Church, I could not but feel in my heart that the three distinguished gentlemen who signed that postal card, or whose names were attached to it, and put it forth, were disquieting the Church much more than the Prayer-Book.

Translations

Adjective

disquiet ‎(comparative more disquiet, superlative most disquiet)

1. Deprived of quiet; impatient, restless, uneasy.
   • c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies, London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, Act III (now Act IV, scene i), page 222:

     I pray you huſband be not ſo diſquiet. / The meate was well, if you were ſo contented.

   • 1669, anonymous [Robert Fleming], The Fulfilling of the Scripture, or An Essay Shewing the Exact Accomplishment of the Word of God in His Works of Providence, Performed and to be Performed. For Confirming the Beleevers, and Convincing the Atheists of the Present Time. Containing in the End a Few Rare Histories of the Works and Servants of God in the Church of Scotland, [Rotterdam: s.n.], OCLC 9818801; republished as The Fulfilling of the Scripture, in Three Parts. [...] In Two Volumes, volume I, Glasgow: Printed by Stephen Young, Prince's-Street, 1801, OCLC 561020060, page 234:

     How rare is it for men to get their lot in the world brought up to their deſire? but are ſtill at ſome jar with their preſent condition, ſo that oft there needs no more to turn men discontent but the thought of ſome lot, which they apprehend more ſatiſfying than their own, the want whereof turns them more diſquiet than all their enjoyments are pleaſing; […]

   • 1719, “Robinson Crusoe” [pseudonym; Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Suprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who Lived Eight and Twenty Years, All Alone in an Un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having Been Cast on Shore by Shipwreck, whereon All the Men Perished but Himself. With an Account how He Was at Last as Strangely Deliver'd by Pyrates. Written by Himself, London: W. Taylor, OCLC 752551201; republished as The Wonderful Life, and Most Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York; Mariner. Containing a Full and Particular Account How He Lived Eight and Twenty Years in an Un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America: How His Ship was Lost in a Storm, and All His Companions Drowned; and How He was Cast upon the Shore by the Wreck. With a True Relation How He was at last Miraculously Preserved by Pyrates. Faithfully Epitomized from the Three Volumes, and Adorned with Cutts Suited to the Most Remarkable Stories, London: Printed for A. Bettesworth and C. Hitch, at the Red Lion, in Pater noster Row; R. Ware, at the Bible and Sun, in Amen-Corner; and J. Hodges, at the Looking-glass, on London-Bridge, 1737, OCLC 559894466, page 51:

     From this place it was that i uſed to go often to view my boat; and now i ſhall relate a thing that gave me the moſt diſquiet of any thing i had ever met with, ſince my firſt coming into the iſland. […] [O]ne day, as i was going to my boat, as uſual, i perceived on the ſand, the print of a man's naked foot, and had i ſeen an apparition, i could not have been more terrified.

   • 1921 June 4, Rabindranath Tagore, C[harles] F[reer] A[ndrews], editor, Letters from Abroad, Madras: S. Ganesan, publisher, Triplicane, Madras, S.E., published 1924, OCLC 34161606, page 135:

     My vina breaks out in a strange disquiet measure, / My heart to-day is tremulous with the heart-throbs of the world.

Derived terms

• disquieting
• disquietude

Verb

disquiet ‎(third-person singular simple present disquiets, present participle disquieting, simple past and past participle disquieted)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To make (someone or something) worried or anxious.

   He felt disquieted at the lack of interest the child had shown.‎

   • 1661, Obadiah Sedgwick, “The Gifts of the Covenant. The Second Part. Chapter XIII.”, in The Bowels of Tender Mercy Sealed in the Everlasting Covenant, wherein is Set Forth the Nature, Conditions and Excellencies of It, and How a Sinner Should Do to Enter into It, and the Danger of Refusing this Covenant-relation. Also the Treasures of Grace, Belssings, Comforts, Promises and Priviledges that are Comprized in the Covenant of Gods Free and Rich Mercy Made in Jesus Christ with Believers. By that Faithful and Reverend Divine M^r Obadiah Sedgwick B.D. Late Minister of the Gospel in Covent-Garden, London. Perfected and Intended for the Press, therefore Corrected and Lately Revised by Himself, and Published by His Own Manuscript, Allowed by Himself in His Life-time, by Those whom He Intrusted with This Work for that Purpose, London: Printed by Edward Mottershed, by Adoniram Byfield, and are to be sold by Joseph Cranford, at the sign of the Castle and Lyon in St. Pauls Church-yard, OCLC 801391981, page 663:

     They have been brought up religiouſly, and have been accuſtomed to read, and pray; and if at any time they do neglect and omit these duties, conſcience is upon them and upbraids and diſquiets them; and they are afraid to neglect them, leſt conſcience will queſtion and trouble them.

   • 1707, Edward, Earl of Clarendon, The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. With the Precedent Passages, and Actions, that Contributed thereunto, and the Happy End, and Conclusion thereof by the King's Blessed Restoration, and Return, upon the 29th of May, in the Year 1660, volume I, part I, Oxford: Printed at the Theater, OCLC 27177663, book III, page 236:

     This Bill, for taking away the Bishops Votes out of the Houſe of Peers, produced another Diſcovery, which caſt the Conductors farther behind, than they were Advanced by their Conqueſt amongst the Commons; and diſquieted them much more, than the other had Exalted them.

   • 1780, John Gill, An Exposition of the Whole Old Testament, Critical, Doctrinal, and Practical. In which are Recorded the Original of Mankind, of the Several Nations of the World, and of the Jewish Nation in Particular [...], volume III, new corr. edition, London: Printed for George Keith, in Gracechurch-Street, OCLC 41973714, page 495:

     Diſturbed and disquieted them, and made them very uneaſy; he terrified and distreſſed them; […] [Commentary on 1 Samuel 14:47.]

   • 1864, Anthony Trollope, “The Claverings. Chapter XVI. The Rivals.”, in The Cornhill Magazine, volume XIV, London: Smith, Elder & Co., 65, Cornhill, published July 1866, OCLC 1565148, page 89:

     She had had a wonderful interview respecting Fanny on this very day, and was at this moment disquieting her mind because she could not tell her friend what had happened without a breach of confidence!

   • 1874, Debates of the House of Deputies in the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Held in New York City, October, A.D. 1874, as Reported for “The Churchman,” by D. F. Murphy & Co., Hartford, Conn.: M. H. Mallory and Company, Printers, OCLC 18081025, page 290:

     I wish to say in regard to the alleged matter of disquiet in this Church, that when I received the postal card that was sent, I suppose, to all the clergy of the Church, I could not but feel in my heart that the three distinguished gentlemen who signed that postal card, or whose names were attached to it, and put it forth, were disquieting the Church much more than the Prayer-Book.

   • 2014, Graham Ward, “Sense and Sensibility: The Unbearable Lightness of Certainty”, in Unbelievable: Why We Believe and Why We Don't, London; New York, N.Y.: I.B. Tauris, ISBN 978-1-78076-735-2, page 113:

     What disquieted the Christian friends was not that this was an awful state of affairs theologically. What disquieted them the most was the fact that they were disquieted. As liberal-minded adults they had not expected to be disturbed at all.

Synonyms

• unquiet (now rare)
• unsettle

Translations