disorder and upset share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. disorder means “a physical condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning”. upset means “an unhappy and worried mental state”. upset is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/dɪˈsɔɹdɚ/
1.n.a physical condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning
“the doctor prescribed some medicine for the disorder”
2.n.a condition in which things are not in their expected places
“the files are in complete disorder”
3.n.a disturbance of the peace or of public order
/əpˈsɛt/
1.n.an unhappy and worried mental state
“there was too much anger and disturbance”
2.n.the act of disturbing the mind or body
“his carelessness could have caused an ecological upset”
3.n.a physical condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning
“the doctor prescribed some medicine for the disorder”
| disorder | upset | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /dɪˈsɔɹdɚ/ | /əpˈsɛt/ |
| Said | di-SAWR-dur | uhp-SET |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Letters | 8 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun, verb, adjective |
| Senses | 5 | 17 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | upset | disturbance, perturbation |
Full entry for disorder · Full entry for upset · More comparisons