distresseddis‧tressed /dɪˈstrest/ ●○○ adjective 
Hannah was deeply distressed by the news.distressed at/by My client is very distressed at the treatment she received from your officers.distressed to find/hear/see/learn etc something She was distressed to see he was crying.► see thesaurus at sad2 technical in a lot of pain: The animal was clearly distressed.3distressed furniture or clothes have been made to look older than they really are4formal having very little money: a family living in distressed circumstances
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- distressed real estate
- Everyone in the office was distressed by Maggie's unexpected death.
- Herman becomes distressed when anyone asks him about the accident.
- I was crying all the time, and my mother was distressed that she could do nothing to comfort me.
- Nelson's supporters were distressed about his use of racial slurs.
- She was deeply distressed to see the animal in so much pain.
- The airport was full of distressed relatives waiting for news of the crash.
- The chief problem in distressed urban communities is unemployment.
- We were all distressed to hear that Stuart had been attacked the night before.
- He said his wife left the house in a very distressed state.
- It is difficult to remain calm and objective when one's own child is distressed, even if only through bad temper.
- Naturally, his lordship was greatly distressed and immediately made plans to dispatch funds and commiserations to Frau Bremann.
- The grandees of sport and theatre are distressed.
- These she carries to and from school daily in a distressed plastic bag and uses continually.
- This resulted in his becoming more distressed and unable to cope with either his work or looking after himself at home.
- When she arrived at the hospital she was distressed, but not unkempt.
THESAURUSvery sad
very sad, especially because you are lonely, cold, ill, or upset – used about people and periods of time: · I felt miserable and blamed myself for what had happened.· Her life was miserable.· I had a miserable time at college.
very sad and without hope for a long time, because things are wrong in your life or because of a medical condition: · After his wife left him, he became depressed and refused to talk to anyone.
extremely sad because of something that has happened to someone or something that you care about very much: · She was heartbroken when her dog died.
very upset because of something bad that has happened, so that you cannot think clearly: · She was very distressed when he left her.· The boy’s hospital bed was surrounded by distraught relatives.
[not before noun] extremely sad and shocked, because something very bad has happened: · The whole town was devastated by the tragedy.
[not before noun] unhappy and worried because something unpleasant or disappointing has happened: · Miss Hurley is too upset to speak to anyone at the moment.· She’s still deeply upset about her uncle’s death.· He’s upset that he didn’t get an invitation to their wedding.
upset and shocked because someone has been unkind to you, especially someone that you trusted and thought was a friend: · Bill felt deeply hurt when he realized she had lied to him.· Gretta was really hurt that none of her friends came to visit her in the hospital.· Jackson was said to be ‘deeply hurt’ by the newspaper reports about him.· He had a hurt expression on his face.
very upset: · Priests have been counselling distressed relatives of the victims.· She was visibly distressed after hearing of her husband’s accident.· Matilda was too distressed to speak.
written so upset and worried that you are unable to do normal things, and nothing can make you feel calm: · Benson was so distraught over the breakup of his marriage that he felt like committing suicide.· The distraught parents of the missing baby have made a public appeal for her return.
British English informal so upset that you cannot stop crying: · She called me one night in a terrible state, saying she wanted to die.· I could see that she was in a bit of a state.
informal to be very upset or angry, so that you think things are worse than they really are: · I was too worked up to sleep.· It’s not worth getting worked up about. Anyone can make a mistake.
Longman Language Activatorfeeling upset unhappy because something very unpleasant or disappointing has happened, so that you feel shocked or you want to cry: · Miss Hurley is too upset to speak to anyone at the moment.· The children were very upset when we told them that we wouldn't be going to Disneyland.upset about: · She's still upset about her uncle's death.upset (that): · The organizers were upset that so few people visited the exhibition.
upset and shocked because someone has been unkind to you, especially someone that you trusted and thought was a friend: · Bill felt very hurt when he realized she had lied to him.hurt (that): · Gretta was really hurt that none of her friends came to visit her in the hospital.deeply hurt (=extremely hurt): · Jackson was said to be 'deeply hurt' by the newspaper reports about him.
extremely upset and shocked about something very unpleasant that has happened, so that you cry or become confused: · Herman becomes distressed when anyone asks him about the accident.· The airport was full of distressed relatives waiting for news of the crash.distressed by/about/at: · Everyone in the office was distressed by Maggie's unexpected death.· Nelson's supporters were distressed about his use of racial slurs.distressed that: · I was crying all the time, and my mother was distressed that she could do nothing to comfort me.distressed to hear/learn/see/find etc: · We were all distressed to hear that Stuart had been attacked the night before.deeply distressed (=extremely distressed): · She was deeply distressed to see the animal in so much pain.
extremely upset, usually because you are very worried about something, so that you cry a lot or seem confused: · He could see that I was distraught, but he still kept asking me questions.· The distraught parents of the missing baby have made a public appeal for her return.distraught at/over/about: · We were all distraught about the accident, but Mama was the most upset.· Benson was so distraught over the breakup of his marriage that he committed suicide.distraught that: · Casey was totally distraught that they were throwing him out of school.
British informal to be so upset that you cannot stop crying or control your emotions: · Stephan called me in a state, saying he was thinking of killing himself.· The children were in such a state that the police couldn't question them.be in an awful/terrible/shocking etc state: · He's been in a terrible state since Julie left him.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Hannah was deeply distressed by the news.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
1very upsetdeeply/visibly distressed Hannah was deeply distressed by the news.· He said his wife left the house in a very distressed state.· He was said to be in a very distressed state.· Anna: Anna telephoned early one morning in a distressed state, hoping I would be able to see her that day.· Not now, not while she was in such a confused and distressed state of mind.
Hannah was deeply distressed by the news.distressed at/by My client is very distressed at the treatment she received from your officers.distressed to find/hear/see/learn etc something She was distressed to see he was crying.► see thesaurus at sad2 technical in a lot of pain: The animal was clearly distressed.3distressed furniture or clothes have been made to look older than they really are4formal having very little money: a family living in distressed circumstances