distressed

1 of 2

adjective

dis·​tressed di-ˈstrest 

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

federal grants for distressed cities

distressed

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of distress entry 2

Examples of distressed in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

The collection also includes an oversize reversible bomber jacket, washed and distressed sweatshirts and T-shirts, a polo, baseball caps and dedicated kids’ pieces. — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

The man who killed eight, including a pregnant woman and two young children, in Erie, Pennsylvania, was a grandfather who did not appear distressed before the massacre, according to relatives of the victims. — Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

In other words, even if the physical impacts aren’t immediately obvious to others, women can become distressed by these changes. — Georgia Casey, Allure, 9 Oct. 2026

Sac City Unified in the spotlight A $222 million structural deficit has put Sacramento City Unified at the center of an unprecedented fiscal crisis that has drawn attention from leaders of other financially distressed districts. — Chaewon Chung updated October 8, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1613, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for distressed

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