as in agitated
feeling overwhelming fear or worry
distraught relatives waiting to learn whether there were any survivors of the plane crash
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distraught
The video also captures a distraught women yelling into her cellphone, apparently devastated by the destruction.
—
Tara Prindiville, NBC News, 9 Jan. 2025
Tense standoff with Miami-Dade police ends in the shooting of a mentally ill man and horror for his distraught mother.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
When the mortician described the fang marks, Ms. Ngari was distraught.
—Brian Otieno, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
This may be why his teammates were so distraught after Dell went down in the Week 16 matchup with the Chiefs.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for distraught 
Tara Prindiville, NBC News, 9 Jan. 2025
Tense standoff with Miami-Dade police ends in the shooting of a mentally ill man and horror for his distraught mother.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
When the mortician described the fang marks, Ms. Ngari was distraught.
—Brian Otieno, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
This may be why his teammates were so distraught after Dell went down in the Week 16 matchup with the Chiefs.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for distraught
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distraught
Adjective
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The climax is a horrendous German burning of a village, as striking for its visual imagery as for its agitated music.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2025
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The inaugural film in The Conjuring franchise understands that seasoned viewers of haunted-house films know what signs to look for by now: cold spots, agitated pets, clocks that stop ticking.—
Gayle Sequeira,
Vulture,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Economic data users like Algernon Austin, director for race and economic justice at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a left-leaning think tank, are worried about what changes may be coming to the sample size for the Current Population Survey, which produces the monthly employment data.—
Hansi Lo Wang,
NPR,
24 Jan. 2025
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A number of men and women on Mitchell’s team were worried about their health and safety, the lawsuit says, so Mitchell raised the issue during the training sessions.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Growers reported a drop in workers showing up to their jobs, and advocacy groups saw a surge of frightened families show up to legal workshops on how to protect themselves against deportation.—
Rachel Uranga,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Jan. 2025
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When Julia arrived with a can of cat food, the first kitten had already been adopted, but the second—a frightened and feisty tabby—was still there.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration set off a tumultuous day at O’Hare International Airport as frantic relatives, hundreds of protesters and volunteer lawyers gathered there.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Jan. 2025
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At the Damascus airport, Mazen made a few last frantic calls.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Everyone in the audience laughed when the capybara first appeared onscreen, even the little kid behind us who had cried earlier, scared of some of the calamities befalling the feline hero.—
Gary Shteyngart,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
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One day, the story goes, the villagers discovered Nian was scared of loud noises, fire and the color red.—
Stephanie Lam,
The Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Notre Dame must either score on defense or special teams to pull off the upset or at least set up Leonard with a short field.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
The Athletic,
20 Jan. 2025
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In the courtside footage, the mom — who was holding one child’s hand and had another kid on her hip — becomes visibly upset, stepping forward and moving very close to the principal.—
Bailey Richards,
People.com,
20 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near distraught
Cite this Entry
“Distraught.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distraught. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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