1
as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety
distressing signs that another war might be imminent
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
the distressing death of our favorite actor
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3
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
the distressing habit of constantly fiddling with her hair
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in alarming
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
don't let all the bad news distress you
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distressing
Adjective
-
Nothing has officially happened yet, but the tension is disturbing with the consequences potentially devastating.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 May 2025 -
That’s a quite disturbing possibility since AGI could wield such an act on a scale of immense magnitude and with globally adverse consequences.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
This is a tragic statistic, and too many brilliant, capable women are suffering because of it.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
-
The law followed the tragic and preventable death of a 16-year-old football player who died from heat stroke during football practice three years earlier.—
Jenna DiPaolo,
Sun Sentinel,
1 June 2025
Adjective
-
In the wake of multiple plane crashes, and amid erratic federal policies and denials and detentions at border crossings, summer travel in the U.S. is in an uneasy state.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
-
The opening moments cement its tonal dissonance as, with a twang of Daniel Kowalski’s spare, uneasy score, a brief prologue with fire, a flailing figure and mutterings about Satan snaps to a far more banal view of an empty street lined with dim, shuttered houses under a low, gray sky.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
For Armstrong, capturing the humanity of these men paints a more unsettling portrait than pure billionaire-trolling might.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
30 May 2025
-
The main case under investigation is unsettling and satisfyingly intricate, with ample thematic connections to Morck, Akram and Rose’s respective forms of psychological damage.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
The timing of Correa’s five-game absence for a concussion sustained in Baltimore on May 15 was unfortunate.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
-
This is especially unfortunate because the plot itself is quite harrowing.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
In the novel’s historical re-creation, is there an anxious note to Americans now losing themselves in accommodation?—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
23 May 2025
-
Both men were deeply anxious, in damage control mode.—
Andy Greenberg,
Wired News,
22 May 2025
Verb
-
Occupying and distracting the mind.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
-
While most of the acting is wonderful (Wyle is predictably great, but so is just about all of the main cast), some patient-of-the-week players err towards distracting histrionics.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
More troubling than political differences, young men and women aren’t occupying the same digital and physical spaces.—
Kian Bakhtiari,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
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Given this reality, Israelis’ attribution of collective responsibility for the Oct. 7 attack creates a troubling moral calculus that rationalizes civilian suffering.—
Carlo Koos,
The Conversation,
22 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Distressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressing. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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