distressing 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety distressing signs that another war might be imminent

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2
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress the distressing death of our favorite actor

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3
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings the distressing habit of constantly fiddling with her hair

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distressing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of distress
as in alarming
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy don't let all the bad news distress you

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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 distressing
Adjective
When the body is starving, the brain will return an incessant and often distressing loop of thoughts about food, an adaptive response designed to prioritize renourishment that clinicians try to harness rather than shut down. — Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026 The details are stark and distressing, but Udal wants to talk about it to try to raise awareness of mental illness. — Paul Newman, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Balenciaga offered a variety of wide-leg jeans—some with twisted seams and heavy distressing. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, fake distressing tends to look random or overly uniform. — Shagun Khare, Martha Stewart, 28 Sep. 2026 While hair thinning and shedding can be distressing, determining the underlying causes can help slow down, stop or even reverse certain types of hair loss. — Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2026 Being cut off from access to the pool, fitness center and tennis or pickleball courts can be more distressing for some residents than monetary penalties. — Michael L. Hyman, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026 But unlike actual fatigues, this is cut to drape just right in all the right places and is clean of any distressing and patches. — Alison Syrett Cleary, InStyle, 18 Sep. 2026 What follows is some of the most riveting and distressing testimony ever delivered in such a setting. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
Thieves have tried to break into Taylor Minatogawa’s business five times in the last two months, distressing him so much he’s spent at least a dozen nights inside his shop keeping guard. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026 Its mid-rise Harlow jeans are composed of a cotton and elastane blend, with a powder-blue hue and strategic hints of distressing down the leg. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distressing
  1. disturbing
  2. tragic
  3. uneasy
  4. alarming
  5. unsettling
  6. unfortunate
  7. anxious
  8. distracting
Adjective
  • For Daughtry, who was dispatched to work the crash by his editor that day, the assignment was one of the most disturbing of his career.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
  • This disturbing contradiction suggests that different physical laws apply to the observer and the observed.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • Flanagan incorporates video interviews as a framing device, in which surviving witnesses recount their memories of the tragic events.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The best memories can sometimes come to the forefront, but Jay’s first memories of his dad are really tragic ones.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of tragic
Adjective
  • Giving team members insight into what is known, what remains unchanged and what may come next can help people navigate uneasy periods of uncertainty with greater confidence.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Experts say Chinese officials likely felt uneasy about that opening.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of uneasy
Verb
  • But the idea that fine adaptations of great books need to be stopping points, rather than springboards, is alarming by itself.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • There are signs that the President is unravelling, in ways that are different from late-period Joe Biden but are alarming all the same.
    — David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of alarming
Adjective
  • There’s something so unsettling about a game show where the contestants’ well-being is not considered, and The Tonight Show leaned into that uncanniness to great effect.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The series explores the unsettling collision of ancient witchcraft beliefs and modern digital dating culture.
    — Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of unsettling
Adjective
  • For many people, however, the presentation instead bears an uncanny and unfortunate resemblance to imagery used in Nazi-era Germany.
    — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Giannis Antetokounmpo era is off to an unfortunate start, as the Heat is 0-2 to start a season for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • The director general was attempting to lift the gloom after being beset with questions from anxious employees about job losses, service reductions, and general retrenchment.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2026
  • An anxious child Apart from her scribbled notes, scant details are available about Runa’s experience in detention, according to her lawyer Yoshihiro Mukai.
    — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of anxious
Verb
  • As a result, your mind is always searching for the next project to tackle or problem to solve, distracting you while hanging out with family or keeping you from sleeping.
    — Melody Wilding, Contributor, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The compelling series achieves a provocative dissection of it all with rare confidence without the overindulgence of distracting CGI tossed in for sheer spectacle.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of distracting

Browse Nearby Words

distressfully
distressing
distressingly
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Cite this Entry

“Distressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressing. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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