distressed 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of distressednext
1
as in troubled

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2
as in depressed

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distressed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of distress
as in alarmed
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy don't let all the bad news distress you

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of distressed
Adjective
After the sale, and amid the 2008 global financial crisis, Caudwell began acquiring distressed real estate. — The Editors, Robb Report, 27 June 2026 María Eugenia Pardo, a resident of Wellington in Palm Beach County, said she is devastated by the tragedy and distressed because her cousin, his wife, their two daughters and his mother-in-law are missing in La Guaira. — Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 25 June 2026
Verb
Timothée Chalamet distressed and overdyed jeans with a brown suede jacket, while Jason Momoa paired a leather jacket with coated jeans. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 12 May 2026 Voters are also distressed by the decline in their quality of life, as well as the country’s muddled political landscape – a fact indicated by the twenty candidates for president alone. — Djenane Villanueva, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for distressed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distressed
  1. troubled
  2. depressed
  3. alarmed
  4. agitated
  5. reduced
  6. disturbed
  7. ruined
  8. distracted
Adjective
  • The movie follows Gugino as a grieving woman who takes in her troubled nephew, but their lives are upended when an otherworldly entity begins hunting him.
    — Scott Huver, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026
  • Seeking a fresh start, Ellie moves into a house on Delaney Row hoping to leave her troubled past behind, only to discover that her new home is steeped in dark secrets and unsettling mysteries.
    — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 3 July 2026
Definition of troubled
Adjective
  • The pseudonymous title character, a depressed, drunken, belligerent twenty-six-year-old advice columnist, has no real hardships of his own and is cursed by doubt.
    — Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 1 July 2026
  • Supergirl is a story about a depressed, super-powered woman who is pulled out of her bar-hopping to help other people and find her purpose.
    — Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 30 June 2026
Definition of depressed
Verb
  • Those measures, however, have alarmed privacy advocates, who argue that age-gating the internet would affect all users — not just children.
    — Angela Yang, NBC news, 30 June 2026
  • That’s alarmed the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents about 400 nurses and staff at two psychiatric hospitals in Sacramento.
    — Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 29 June 2026
Definition of alarmed
Adjective
  • People with heat stroke can feel confused, unable to speak properly and agitated.
    — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 2 July 2026
  • However, first base umpire Todd Tichenor tossed the agitated second baseman after Chisholm spiked his helmet toward home plate.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 29 June 2026
Definition of agitated
Adjective
  • For example, a person with a high tolerance with opioids would see reduced tolerance under the drug.
    — Gavin Escott, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Despite its grab-bag approach, False LP A follows the trend of each Topdown release being weirder and more reduced than the last.
    — Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 6 July 2026
Definition of reduced
Verb
  • The location of the digging also could have disturbed another grave that may now be unmarked.
    — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026
  • Home to North America’s tallest mountain, Denali's six million acres of wilderness are disturbed by only one road.
    — Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
Definition of disturbed
Adjective
  • His choices allow the viewer to drink in the intimate details of the ruined world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
Definition of ruined
Verb
  • Getting distracted by a late-stage bombshell would feel disingenuous at this point.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 1 July 2026
  • My will is scattered, directed toward many contradictory things, and easily distracted.
    — Meghan O’Gieblyn, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
Definition of distracted

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Cite this Entry

“Distressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressed. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on distressed

Nglish: Translation of distressed for Spanish Speakers

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