Upset

Part of speech: verb, adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /ˌʌpˈsɛt/

Definitions

1. Feeling emotionally disturbed or distressed ; turned over or disrupted from an expected position or form ; an unexpected loss in a competition or contest
2. Experiencing emotional turmoil or unhappiness ; having a state changed suddenly or violently ; a surprising victory against a favored opponent
3. A state of mental or emotional disturbance ; the act of overturning or causing disorder ; a surprise result where the expected winner loses

Etymology: The verb "upset" began as a plain physical action: to set something up. Middle English "upsetten" combined "up" with "set" and meant to put up or establish, and its noun counterpart was used for the act of setting up or an arrangement. A parallel form in Middle Low German, "upset," carried the same sense of a setup or arrangement, which suggests the construction was shared across the North Sea trading languages rather than invented in England alone. The current sense of knocking something over or disturbing a calm state grew out of this literal sense. The shift from "setting up" to "setting over" is easier to see when you picture the image: to upset a cart or a boat is to turn it over, and from there the sense moved from objects to people, so that a person could be thrown off balance emotionally. The adjective "upset," meaning emotionally disturbed, comes from that later development.

Synonyms: disturb, agitate, perturb, disconcert, trouble

Antonyms: calm, soothe, settle, reassure, comfort