distressing 1 of 2

adjective

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

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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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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

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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
  • In court, attorneys for the state also described a disturbing scene.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2024
  • Here are two reasons behind these often disturbing experiences, according to research.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • Matthew Gaudreau's widow Madeline paid tribute to her late husband and brother-in-law on the first Thanksgiving since their tragic deaths.
    Natasha Dye, People.com, 28 Nov. 2024
  • Wendy Williams’ tragic battle with dementia is playing out in a new court dispute between her legal guardian Sabrina Morrissey and A&E Networks.
    Vivian Kwarm, New York Daily News, 27 Nov. 2024
Definition of tragic
Adjective
  • The idea of semitrucks without drivers makes Kentucky Republican state Sen. Greg Elkins uneasy.
    Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Feeling uneasy or insecure in such situations is completely natural—and a valid reaction, at that.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • Today, however, the movie feels more like an uncomfortably timely cautionary tale with unsettling echoes of current events.
    Joe Leydon, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024
  • In public, Uzi simply moves differently, with an insistent sway that can feel both thrilling and unsettling.
    Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Distressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressing. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on distressing

Nglish: Translation of distressing for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of distressing for Arabic Speakers

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