Skip to content

perturbar

to disturb

verb pehr-toor-BAHR Rare
Mind & Emotions Emotions

Origin: from Latin perturbare, 'to throw into disorder'

Also means

to perturb; to upset

Usage Note

Perturbar suggests a deeper disruption than molestar ('to bother') — it implies upsetting an order or state of calm: perturbar el orden público ('to disturb public order'). Applied to a person, it can mean to unsettle mentally or emotionally. The adjective perturbador/perturbadora ('disturbing, unsettling') is common in literary and critical writing.

Examples

"El ruido de la calle perturbó su concentración."

Natural Translation

The street noise disturbed his concentration.

Free starter pack

Building your Spanish vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Spanish by topic