n. 1
The act of disturbing, being disturbed.
n. 2
Something that disturbs.
That guy causes a lot of trouble, you know, he’s such a disturbance.
n. 3
A noisy commotion that causes a hubbub or interruption.
n. 4
An interruption of that which is normal or regular.

Related words

Phrases: mental disturbance ipseity disturbance

Forms

Plural: disturbances → commotions, troubles, riots, fracases…

Choose the right word

Disturbance, Storm, Agitation or Tempest?

A storm is properly a disturbance of the atmosphere, with or without rain, snow, hail, or thunder and lightning. We speak of agitation of feeling, disturbance of mind, a storm of passion, a tempest of rage.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

confusion He disappeared, taking advantage of the confusion.
riot The authorities sent in troops to quell the riot.
commotion James heard the commotion and hurried to the room.
disorder Apparently, Leon had some kind of mental disorder.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
disturbance		steady
confusion		steady
riot		steady
commotion		rising
fracas		rising
disorder		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: riot², fuss¹, fray¹
5 letters: storm¹, upset², noise¹, brawl¹
6 letters: uproar², ruffle², tumult², fracas², affray, shindy
7 letters: trouble², anxiety⁴, turmoil²
8 letters: disorder³, distress², disquiet³
9 letters: confusion³, annoyance³, agitation⁴, commotion³
10 letters: disruption³, turbulence³, uneasiness⁴, convulsion³
11 letters: distraction³, molestation⁴, derangement
12 letters: interference⁴, interruption⁴, perturbation⁴, unsettlement
13 letters: inconvenience⁴

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (riot² = 2 syllables).