distressing 1 of 2

adjective

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for distressing
  1. disturbing
  2. tragic
  3. uneasy
  4. unsettling
  5. unfortunate
  6. anxious
  7. distracting
  8. troubling
Adjective
  • Here are two reasons behind these often disturbing experiences, according to research.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
  • In court, attorneys for the state also described a disturbing scene.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2024
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • The mother of a North Carolina woman who was fatally attacked while vacationing in Mexico is pursuing legal action two years after the tragic incident.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Nearly $195,000 was raised through a GoFundMe campaign started for Kaur’s family following her tragic death.
    Abigail Adams, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
Definition of tragic
Adjective
  • That raises uneasy questions about Worthington’s social fabric and how to celebrate distinct cultures while overcoming ethnic self-segregation.
    Giovanna Dell'orto, Twin Cities, 31 Oct. 2024
  • Apostates ties hunters with these organizations more closely as uneasy allies, rivals or even direct antagonists.
    Rob Wieland, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • The great director Hiro Murai collaborated with Glover on one of the most unsettling half-hours of TV in the 2010s, an experience that unfolded without commercial breaks.
    Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024
  • The only person who sees what’s disturbing about her is her daughter, Eva, and very soon all will see what is unsettling about her, too.
    Joe Otterson, Variety, 25 Oct. 2024
Definition of unsettling
Adjective
  • Lucky 13 has proved unfortunate for those involved in making the ABC game show.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2024
  • Equally unfortunate is the film’s narrative clumsiness, with a story that doesn’t earn its exhausting runtime.
    Tomris Laffly, Variety, 20 Nov. 2024
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Boutin has been in remission from thyroid cancer since August, but just had a related surgery last week and the couple was anxious about Boutin inhaling any smoke.
    CNN.com, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Joe Biden lost North Carolina by just over one percentage point in 2020, but Harris has been tied or ahead in several recent polls there, and the Trump campaign has been increasingly anxious about it.
    The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Definition of anxious
Verb
  • This also avoids a brightness instability problem that can afflict the TV’s Standard mode, where the image suffers distracting brightness ‘jumps’ or ‘drops’ when an HDR image cuts abruptly between bright and dark shots.
    John Archer, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
  • The boy’s life is organized around distracting himself, especially since his mother (Jodie Whittaker) works long days and nights as a nurse.
    Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Oct. 2024
Definition of distracting
Adjective
  • Recently officials announced the disturbing news that bird flu has infected a pig in Oregon, a troubling development that health experts say could mean a more transmissible and virulent virus.
    Seema Policepatil, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
  • What progress Israel has made, moreover, offers a troubling precedent for the lowering of moral standards in the pursuit of victory.
    John Spencer, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024
Definition of troubling
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near distressing

distressfully

distressing

distressingly

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Distressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressing. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on distressing

Nglish: Translation of distressing for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of distressing for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...