distress
1 of 3noun
dis·tress di-ˈstres 
1
law
a
: seizure and detention of the goods of another as pledge (see pledge entry 1 sense 1) or to obtain satisfaction of a claim by the sale of the goods seized
b
: something that is distrained
2
a
: pain or suffering affecting the body, a bodily part, or the mind : trouble
gastric distress
The patient showed no obvious signs of distress.
severe emotional distress
voiced their distress over the delays
b
: a painful situation : misfortune
3
: a state of danger or desperate need
a ship in distress
distress
2 of 3verb
distressed; distressing; distresses
transitive verb
1
: to subject to great strain or difficulties
homes distressed by poverty
2
archaic : to force or overcome by inflicting pain
3
: to cause to worry or be troubled : upset
don't let the news distress you
4
: to mar (something, such as clothing or wood) deliberately to give an effect of age
a distressed table
distressed jeans
distressingly
di-ˈstre-siŋ-lē
adverb distress
3 of 3adjective
1
: offered for sale at a loss
distress merchandise
2
: involving distress goods
a distress sale
Synonyms
Noun
- affliction
- agony
- anguish
- excruciation
- hurt
- misery
- pain
- rack
- strait(s)
- torment
- torture
- travail
- tribulation
- woe
Verb
- agitate
- ail
- alarm
- alarum
- bother
- concern
- derail
- discomfort
- discompose
- dismay
- disquiet
- distemper
- distract
- disturb
- exercise
- flurry
- frazzle
- freak (out)
- fuss
- hagride
- perturb
- undo
- unhinge
- unsettle
- upset
- weird out
- worry
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun Citizens voiced their distress over delays in fixing the problem. The patient showed no obvious signs of distress. He suffered severe emotional distress as a result of the accident. Verb don't let all the bad news distress you
Recent Examples on the Web
Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2022 The 40-foot boat had set sail from Lisbon, Portugal, on Sunday morning, and sent a distress signal just before 9 p.m. on Monday, Reuters reported, citing the coast guard. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 4 Aug. 2022 The sailor, who has been identified by Spanish news media as Laurent Camprubi, sent out a distress signal on Monday when his sailboat, the Jeanne SOLO Sailor, capsized about 14 miles from the coast of Spain’s Sisargas Islands. Paulina Villegas, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2022 Our intrepid explorers receive a distress signal from fellow Starfleet ship the U.S.S. Constellation and rush to its aid. Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 4 Aug. 2022 The Spanish coast guard said the 40-foot Jeanne Solo Sailor sent out the distress signal just before 8:30 p.m. (2 p.m. ET) about 14 miles from the Sisargas Islands off Spain’s northwestern Galicia region. Sara Mhaidli, NBC News, 4 Aug. 2022 Upside down – An upside-down flag is considered a distress signal. Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 30 June 2022 Then, a human yowl cuts through with the urgency of a distress signal. New York Times, 27 June 2022 The adult crane was doing its unique distress call, warning its offspring, known as a colt, of a potential threat. Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2022 Griffin Wiles, The Indianapolis Star, 1 July 2022 Fireworks can distress and cause problems for animals, people at home, and those with post-traumatic stress disorder, said Brockton City Council President John Lally. Matt Yan, BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2022 In their zeal to prepare for a shooting emergency on their campuses, school districts across the nation have gravitated toward hyperreal simulations like these, despite some experts’ concerns that the realism may distress or traumatize kids. Laura Newberrystaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2022 The rapidly aging population and shrinking workforce could severely distress China's economic and social stability. Nectar Gan And Steve George, CNN, 1 Dec. 2021 In 2017, a ship from the aid group Sea-Watch responded to distress calls from a sinking migrant boat. Ian Urbina, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2021 Within the last 12 months, to what extent did the following issue(s) cause you distress? Genny Beemyn, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2021 But Brightline trains, many contended, would reduce property values, pose a safety risk from derailments, distress the mental health of students at schools near the tracks and threaten wildlife and wetlands in and near the community. Kevin Spear, orlandosentinel.com, 20 July 2021 His back legs kept giving out, too, which appeared to distress him. Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 27 May 2021 Simone Mccarthy And Yong Xiong, CNN, 4 Apr. 2022 The post-distress investing segment is particularly attractive right now. George Schultze, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2021 The attractiveness of investing in both public and private post-distress equities in this part of the cycle will likely remain very interesting for the medium-term. George Schultze, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2021 Both of these post-distress firms still look attractive on an after-tax cash flow basis versus their peers. George Schultze, Forbes, 16 Apr. 2021 Going forward, many more firms emerging from the COVID crisis will have large NOLs that can benefit their post-distress shareholders. George Schultze, Forbes, 16 Apr. 2021 Thys didn’t hang any of the flags upside down, but these are clearly distress symbols. Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2020 See More
Noun
The Northwest Seaplanes flight, carrying Hilty's family members and others from Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands en route to a Seattle suburb, went down in the waters of the Puget Sound on Sunday afternoon without sending a distress call. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2022 The 40-foot boat had set sail from Lisbon, Portugal, on Sunday morning, and sent a distress signal just before 9 p.m. on Monday, Reuters reported, citing the coast guard. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 4 Aug. 2022 The sailor, who has been identified by Spanish news media as Laurent Camprubi, sent out a distress signal on Monday when his sailboat, the Jeanne SOLO Sailor, capsized about 14 miles from the coast of Spain’s Sisargas Islands. Paulina Villegas, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2022 Our intrepid explorers receive a distress signal from fellow Starfleet ship the U.S.S. Constellation and rush to its aid. Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 4 Aug. 2022 The Spanish coast guard said the 40-foot Jeanne Solo Sailor sent out the distress signal just before 8:30 p.m. (2 p.m. ET) about 14 miles from the Sisargas Islands off Spain’s northwestern Galicia region. Sara Mhaidli, NBC News, 4 Aug. 2022 Upside down – An upside-down flag is considered a distress signal. Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 30 June 2022 Then, a human yowl cuts through with the urgency of a distress signal. New York Times, 27 June 2022 The adult crane was doing its unique distress call, warning its offspring, known as a colt, of a potential threat. Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2022 Verb
Dogs can detect sound frequencies between two and three times higher than humans can, so loud noises can easily distress them. Griffin Wiles, The Indianapolis Star, 1 July 2022 Fireworks can distress and cause problems for animals, people at home, and those with post-traumatic stress disorder, said Brockton City Council President John Lally. Matt Yan, BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2022 In their zeal to prepare for a shooting emergency on their campuses, school districts across the nation have gravitated toward hyperreal simulations like these, despite some experts’ concerns that the realism may distress or traumatize kids. Laura Newberrystaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2022 The rapidly aging population and shrinking workforce could severely distress China's economic and social stability. Nectar Gan And Steve George, CNN, 1 Dec. 2021 In 2017, a ship from the aid group Sea-Watch responded to distress calls from a sinking migrant boat. Ian Urbina, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2021 Within the last 12 months, to what extent did the following issue(s) cause you distress? Genny Beemyn, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2021 But Brightline trains, many contended, would reduce property values, pose a safety risk from derailments, distress the mental health of students at schools near the tracks and threaten wildlife and wetlands in and near the community. Kevin Spear, orlandosentinel.com, 20 July 2021 His back legs kept giving out, too, which appeared to distress him. Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 27 May 2021 Adjective
But the policy itself, which requires all patients who test positive to be isolated, including young children and babies, has caused significant levels distress among parents. Simone Mccarthy And Yong Xiong, CNN, 4 Apr. 2022 The post-distress investing segment is particularly attractive right now. George Schultze, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2021 The attractiveness of investing in both public and private post-distress equities in this part of the cycle will likely remain very interesting for the medium-term. George Schultze, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2021 Both of these post-distress firms still look attractive on an after-tax cash flow basis versus their peers. George Schultze, Forbes, 16 Apr. 2021 Going forward, many more firms emerging from the COVID crisis will have large NOLs that can benefit their post-distress shareholders. George Schultze, Forbes, 16 Apr. 2021 Thys didn’t hang any of the flags upside down, but these are clearly distress symbols. Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun, Verb, and Adjective
Middle English destresse, from Anglo-French destresce, from Vulgar Latin *districtia, from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere — see distrain
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing distress
Kids Definition
distress 1 of 2
noun
dis·tress di-ˈstres
1
: physical or mental pain or suffering
2
: a state of danger or desperate need
The ship was in distress.
distress
2 of 2verb
distressed; distressing
: to upset or cause to worry
The news distressed her.
Medical Definition
distress
noun
dis·tress dis-ˈtres
: pain or suffering affecting the body, a bodily part, or the mind
gastric distress
respiratory distress
Legal Definition
distress
noun
dis·tress
1
: seizure and detention of the goods of another as pledge or to obtain satisfaction of a claim by the sale of the goods seized
specifically : seizure by a landlord of a tenant's property to obtain satisfaction of arrearages in rent
Note: Distress is regulated by statute where available. It has been held unconstitutional by some courts.
2
: pain or suffering affecting the body, a bodily part, or the mind see also emotional distress
distress 1 of 2
noun
1
as in agony
a state of great suffering of body or mind the upcoming bar exam is causing us considerable distress the survivors were in extreme distress after having been stranded on the island for a week with no food Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- agony
- anguish
- pain
- misery
- discomfort
- torment
- tribulation
- woe
- hurt
- torture
- sadness
- sorrow
- hardship
- pang
- excruciation
- travail
- affliction
- danger
- difficulty
- heartbreak
- trouble
- unhappiness
- strait(s)
- emergency
- rack
- heartache
- ache
- cross
- joylessness
- jeopardy
- soreness
- crucible
- twinge
- smarting
- pinch
- trial
- stitch
- asperity
- rigor
- throe
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- relief
- alleviation
- comfort
- consolation
- solace
- ease
- assuagement
- security
- peace
- well-being
2
as in danger
the state of not being protected from injury, harm, or evil a ship in distress Synonyms & Similar Words
- danger
- risk
- jeopardy
- trouble
- peril
- endangerment
- imperilment
- threat
- helplessness
- vulnerability
- harm's way
- precariousness
- susceptibility
- exposure
- openness
- weakness
- liability
- defenselessness
- susceptibleness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- safety
- security
- salvation
- protection
- preservation
- secureness
- defense
- immunity
- safeness
- exemption
- impunity
- inviolability
- invulnerability
distress
2 of 2verb
as in to alarm
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy don't let all the bad news distress you Synonyms & Similar Words
- alarm
- concern
- anger
- worry
- disturb
- bother
- distract
- discomfort
- plague
- disquiet
- dismay
- upset
- agitate
- discompose
- unsettle
- distemper
- annoy
- ail
- haunt
- exercise
- flurry
- irritate
- fuss
- perturb
- frazzle
- aggravate
- derail
- confuse
- undo
- exasperate
- alarum
- rattle
- unhinge
- hagride
- weird out
- embarrass
- harass
- vex
- harry
- fluster
- freak (out)
- bug
- irk
- fret
- discourage
- pique
- put off
- pester
- chafe
- discomfit
- gall
- grate
- put out
- rile
- peeve
- disconcert
- nettle
- bedevil
- get
- dispirit
- chivy
- abash
- confound
- discountenance
- nonplus
- shake up
- mortify
- dishearten
- chivvy
- faze
- unnerve
- jar
- demoralize
- daunt
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- soothe
- calm
- alleviate
- settle
- quiet
- allay
- assuage
- compose
- tranquillize
- tranquilize
- pacify
- mollify
- placate
- appease
- conciliate
- propitiate
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of distress are agony, misery, and suffering. While all these words mean "the state of being in great trouble," distress implies an external and usually temporary cause of great physical or mental strain and stress.
the hurricane put everyone in great distress
In some situations, the words agony and distress are roughly equivalent. However, agony suggests pain too intense to be borne.
in agony over the death of their child
While in some cases nearly identical to distress, misery stresses the unhappiness attending especially sickness, poverty, or loss.
the homeless live with misery every day
The synonyms suffering and distress are sometimes interchangeable, but suffering implies conscious endurance of pain or distress.
the suffering of famine victims
- have/keep one's feet on the ground
- have/keep one's guard up
- have/keep/put one's finger on the pulse of
- have/know all the answers
- have/put one's hands in the till
- have/share (something) in common
- have/share more/less in common with
- have/take a butcher's
- have/take a seat
- have/take a tinkle
- have/take a wander
- have/take a whack at
- have/take precedence over
- have/take/get someone's measure
- have/take/get the measure of (someone)
- have/throw/pitch a tantrum
- Havel
- havelock
- havelocks
- haven
- haven't
- haven't a clue
- haven't got all day
- havened
- havening