DISTRESSING Synonyms: 205 Similar and Opposite Words

distressing 1 of 2

adjective

as in disturbing

causing worry or anxiety distressing signs that another war might be imminent

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in tragic

of a kind to cause great distress the distressing death of our favorite actor

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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 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 Janzen told The Guardian that the search for Jabal was as much a concern for him as caring for Innab during the distressing time. — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 16 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

Adjective

Even when the metaphor is painfully on the nose, the film’s most disturbing images are more than their dramatic limitations and a whale is still an astonishing place to spend a movie.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
When her aunt Helena and paralyzed grandmother Regina arrive, the fragile boundaries between everyday life, ancestral superstition and Trina’s increasingly disturbing nightmares begin to collapse.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of disturbing

Adjective

Encouragement from his longtime confidante and collaborator helped the comedian write about the loss of his beloved home before Reiner’s tragic killing in December 2025 alongside his wife, Michele, in Brentwood.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Reynolds, a Black disabled man with a limb difference, is given a character of substance that isn’t tragic or inspirational.

— Kristen Lopez, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of tragic

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

The mystery comedy, loosely inspired by the 1989 film starring Tom Hanks, follows a married couple whose move into the husband's childhood home exposes unsettling secrets in their seemingly quiet suburban neighborhood.

— Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Liminal Yellow can read as warm or slightly unsettling, WGSN says, depending on how it is styled.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of unsettling

Adjective

Neighbors shocked about stabbing Neighbors say Thomas was known to have mental health issues and called the stabbing unfortunate.

— Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
To make matters worse, India’s Supreme Court, another vital democratic institution, has also played an unfortunate role in this train of events.

— Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of unfortunate

Adjective

There’s also reassuring initial bite at the top of the travel, yet the setup doesn’t feel grabby or overly anxious in everyday driving situations.

— Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
Gong’s collection followed the emotional arc of unrequited love, from the first spark and the anxious wait to the social-media sleuthing, a date, and the sudden disappearance that follows.

— Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of anxious

Verb

Today’s computers are approachable, but also distracting, argues Caligra co-founder and CEO Grant Bisset.

— Daniel Varghese, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Maybe his conning can be curtailed someday, but the thought there’d ever be enough distracting chaos for a similarly lengthy follow-up is almost too much to bear.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of distracting

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distressfully

distressing

distressingly

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“Distressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressing. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of distressing

adjective

verb

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