Disconcerning, Discerning and Concerning :



This odd word looks like it might be an error for “disconcerting,” but people who use it seem mostly to mean something like “discerning” (perceiving) or “concerning” (in the sense “of concern,” itself widely considered an error).


People commonly say of things that are a cause for concern that they are “concerning”: “My boyfriend’s affection for his pet rattlesnake is concerning.” This is not standard English. There are many better words that mean the same thing including “worrisome,” “troubling,” and “alarming.”