disturbeddis‧turbed /dɪˈstɜːbd $ -ɜːrbd/ adjective 
the care of emotionally disturbed children while the balance of his mind was disturbed2worried or upsetdisturbed by/about/at Police are very disturbed about the latest trend.seriously/deeply/greatly etc disturbeddisturbed to find/see/discover/learn etc She was disturbed to learn he had bought a motorbike.disturbed that I’m disturbed that so many of the students appear to be illiterate.3disturbed sleep sleep that is interrupted
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- The defendant is mentally and emotionally disturbed.
- Heterosexuality can be more or less narcissistic, it can be very disturbed or not so.
- I never realised there were so many disturbed people around.
- The hamster appears lifeless if disturbed, but returns to normal in about five minutes.
- The reason given by the king was the disturbed state of the kingdom which prevented his attending to ecclesiastical business.
- The starlings were disturbed, swirling around in S-shapes and parabolas and unexpected clusters.
THESAURUS
having an illness that affects your mind and your behaviour: · Many mentally ill people are treated in the community.· He was declared mentally ill and unfit to stand trial.
informal mentally ill: · I couldn’t think straight. I felt like I was going crazy (=becoming crazy).
old-fashioned mentally ill. This word is now usually considered offensive, and is usually used in a different meaning, when you think that someone’s ideas are not sensible: · Swift himself went mad (=became mad) later in life.· a mad old woman
[not before noun] old-fashioned having a serious and permanent mental illness: · She went insane after her two young sons were murdered.· a hospital for the criminally insane
not behaving in a normal way because of mental or emotional problems, especially problems that are caused by bad experiences: · She teaches emotionally disturbed children.· Her experiences left her deeply disturbed.
having an emotional state that often changes very suddenly: · Her mother was mentally unstable.· He lived in a small Putney flat with his ageing Aunt Bunny, and his emotionally unstable sister, Nancy.· He was too unstable to be a leader.
behaving in a crazy or dangerous way, usually because of being mentally ill: · A deranged young woman entered the school and took the life of one young boy.
having a serious and permanent mental illness that causes violent or criminal behaviour: · The film is about a psychopathic killer.
suffering from or caused by a serious mental illness that changes your character and makes you unable to behave in a normal way: · psychiatric services for chronic psychotic patients.· There is a tendency for psychotic illnesses to be inherited.
relating to or suffering from a mental illness that makes you unreasonably worried of frightened: · His mother was neurotic and insecure.· She’s neurotic about her weight.· A bored or lonely horse may become so neurotic that it chases itself around in circles.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY the care of emotionally disturbed children She was disturbed to learn he had bought a motorbike.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
the care of emotionally disturbed children She was disturbed to learn he had bought a motorbike.· Back in London, what is available to mentally disturbed women who are treated in hospital?· There is widespread agreement that there are many mentally disturbed people in prison who would be better off in hospital.
· Meanwhile G120 is facing the wrong way and H 131 is in very disturbed wind behind the whole fleet.· These were very disturbed patients who perhaps do not fit into the group under discussion here.· Heterosexuality can be more or less narcissistic, it can be very disturbed or not so.· The second thing was all the teenage angst; very disturbed letters.
NOUN· Between the ages of 2 and 5 she had had episodes of disturbed behaviour during sleep.· Discussion Patients admitted to casualty departments with acutely disturbed behaviour present a major diagnostic challenge.· When she was thirteen years old she was already showing signs of disruptive, disturbed behaviour.· In addition a 25 second burst of delta activity was seen that did not cause panic or disturbed behaviour.· Seen in the context of a ten-year history of disturbed behaviour, these incidents could have been prevented.· If there are no obvious reasons for the baby showing this disturbed behaviour, then the role of diet should be considered.
· The report said that disturbed children were more than twice as likely to become smokers as other youngsters.· This group of disturbed children also had a greater persistence of bedwetting.· Porter, a woman of integrity, now on her fourth marriage and deeply fond of both her disturbed children.· The isolation or bunching together of such pupils only provides them with poor role models and intensive interaction with other disturbed children.· It is sad that, as far as disturbed children are concerned, it is also becoming one of the most dangerous.
· I never realised there were so many disturbed people around.· In the works of Bacon, Richier, de Kooning and Golub we see ugly and disturbed people.· There is widespread agreement that there are many mentally disturbed people in prison who would be better off in hospital.
· The prison Governor says he was in a disturbed state.· The reason given by the king was the disturbed state of the kingdom which prevented his attending to ecclesiastical business.· The country remained in a disturbed state.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
- Conversely, disturbed sleep patterns can cause periods to become irregular or stop altogether.
- Sarah experiences more or less constant pain from a back problem, indigestion, and disturbed sleep.
- This may be associated with disturbed sleep and irritability and so the scratching may not be noticed.
WORD FAMILYadjectivedisturbed ≠ undisturbeddisturbingnoundisturbanceverbdisturbadverbdisturbingly
1not behaving normally because of a mental conditionmentally/emotionally disturbed the care of emotionally disturbed children while the balance of his mind was disturbed2worried or upsetdisturbed by/about/at Police are very disturbed about the latest trend.seriously/deeply/greatly etc disturbeddisturbed to find/see/discover/learn etc She was disturbed to learn he had bought a motorbike.disturbed that I’m disturbed that so many of the students appear to be illiterate.3disturbed sleep sleep that is interrupted