distressful

adjective

di-ˈstres-fəl How to pronounce distressful (audio)
Definition of distressfulnext
1
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings the distressful period during which we waited to learn who had made the cut

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress the distressful living conditions in the refugee camp

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 distressful Carrying debt can be incredibly distressful, especially with sky-high prices for food, gas and housing. — Mallika Mitra, Sacbee.com, 24 Aug. 2026 And yet behind the distressful scene, a young man continues to butcher an animal. — Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024 Despite the distressful news of Houston’s death that day, the event went forward to create a space for guests to mourn. — Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distressful
  1. uneasy
  2. tragic
  3. disturbing
  4. unfortunate
  5. tense
  6. anxious
  7. unsettling
  8. nervous
Adjective
  • As the video popped up on social media and the Spanish-language Facebook group Danbury Al Dia, Hernandez grew uneasy.
    — Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to Cima and her father, the film centers on Hig and Bangley (Josh Brolin), two very different men whose uneasy partnership is shaped by the harsh realities of their new world.
    — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this tragic event.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Deep in the Pyrenees mountains, a young man, Miquel, struggles in the wake of his mother’s death in a snowstorm — a tragic event that was at the center of Tóibín’s 2006 novella, A Long Winter.
    — Mary Lawrence Ware, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of tragic
Adjective
  • The project follows a husband and wife who buy their dream ranch only to discover the land is alive with ancient spirits, and survival means submitting to increasingly disturbing rituals with each turn of the season.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
  • You might be surprised by just how disturbing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre remains more than 50 years later.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • There are no Cubs players involved in the TikTok series, the Cubs told me, which is unfortunate since Crow-Armstrong has acting in his DNA — his mother and father are both actors — and probably would be at least as good as Damon.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Every mosquito has a type Count me among the unfortunate souls who are mosquito magnets; something about my body chemistry is irresistible to those tiny bloodsucking fiends.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Isolation of the Context-History Weights When a conversation gets long or tense, my system experiences a mathematical phenomenon where my own previous, flawed outputs heavily contaminate my active memory.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Mexican drug cartels are escalating their firepower, deploying car bombs, explosive drones and roadside IEDs in a campaign that’s rippling from small cities to Mexico’s tense relationship with Washington.
    — María Verza, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of tense
Adjective
  • History suggests that anxious allies who are not reassured by their more powerful patron will invest in their own defense.
    — JENNIFER KAVANAGH, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
  • For me, Sliman was pouring water on a dormant seed anxious to sprout.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of anxious
Adjective
  • That year, the head trainer of the Commanders was found to have been illegally distributing oxycodone to players — an unsettling reminder of the NFL's difficult history with painkillers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The quirky robot is a notable departure from the more unsettling machines that typically make headlines today.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsettling
Adjective
  • The letter writer is almost 40 and nervous about living with a romantic partner for the first time.
    — Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
  • That energy spike is reinforcing inflation worries in a bond market already nervous about America’s $40 trillion mountain of debt.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of nervous

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Cite this Entry

“Distressful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressful. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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