distressed

adjective

dis·​tressed di-ˈstrest 

: of, relating to, or experiencing economic decline or difficulty

federal grants for distressed cities

Examples of distressed in a Sentence

She felt emotionally and physically distressed.

The government provided funds to the economically distressed city.

Donations were given to financially distressed families.

Recent Examples on the Web

Lavie appeared in a jailhouse-yellow shirt and blue pants and looked distressed throughout the hearing, nodding and gesturing to friends at times. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026

The state budget also included $300 million in healthcare subsidies and $200 million in loans to protect distressed hospitals. — Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026

The victim and the other distressed swimmers were brought onto Gamache’s boat, which transported them to the nearest boat launch, WOFL reported. — David Chiu, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026

Some elderly residents were treated by first responders after becoming distressed during the earthquake. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for distressed

• acquiesced
• coalesced
• dispossessed
• manifest
• overdressed
• overstressed
• prepossessed
• reassessed
• reinvest
• repossessed
• unaddressed
• uncompressed