1
: agitated with doubt or mental conflict or pain
distraught mourners
2
: exhibiting a severely disordered state of mind : not mentally sound
as if thou wert distraught and mad with terror—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
distraughtly
adverb
Examples of distraught in a Sentence
Of particular concern are phony contractors, who knock on the doors of distraught homeowners and offer to repair damaged roofs or remove fallen trees.
—Natalie Rodriguez, This Old House, March 2006
The night before the story broke, West sat down for a two-hour interview with the Spokane-Review and left so distraught that its editor, Steven Smith, asked the police chief to check on him.
—Unmesh Kher, Time, 23 May 2005
Captured by news photographers under the direction of his manager Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis's turn in the barber's chair was a public ceremony: a symbolic shearing, not only of Elvis—who would return from the service a meek semblance of himself, a mama's boy without a mama (his distraught mother, Gladys, died while he was stationed at Fort Hood, soon to depart for Germany)—but of rock 'n' roll itself.
—James Wolcott, Vanity Fair, November 2000
Distraught relatives are waiting for news of the missing children.
She was distraught over the death of her partner.
Natalie Rodriguez, This Old House, March 2006
The night before the story broke, West sat down for a two-hour interview with the Spokane-Review and left so distraught that its editor, Steven Smith, asked the police chief to check on him.
—Unmesh Kher, Time, 23 May 2005
Captured by news photographers under the direction of his manager Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis's turn in the barber's chair was a public ceremony: a symbolic shearing, not only of Elvis—who would return from the service a meek semblance of himself, a mama's boy without a mama (his distraught mother, Gladys, died while he was stationed at Fort Hood, soon to depart for Germany)—but of rock 'n' roll itself.
—James Wolcott, Vanity Fair, November 2000
Distraught relatives are waiting for news of the missing children.
She was distraught over the death of her partner.
Recent Examples on the Web
But don’t be like those gullible commentators who are distraught over Gunn’s statement.
—Armond White, National Review, 18 July 2025
Louis Thuillier was distraught by his inability to know the plight of his subjects; to view the photographs from the distance of a century can imbue the viewer with a similar melancholy.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 13 July 2025
Paige, her best friend, is distraught and steps up to help.
—Connie Ogle, Boston Herald, 10 July 2025
Gender has long played into the empty nester stereotype, Cardinale said, rooted in the image of a distraught mother who can't function because her kids left home.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for distraught
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Armond White, National Review, 18 July 2025
Louis Thuillier was distraught by his inability to know the plight of his subjects; to view the photographs from the distance of a century can imbue the viewer with a similar melancholy.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 13 July 2025
Paige, her best friend, is distraught and steps up to help.
—Connie Ogle, Boston Herald, 10 July 2025
Gender has long played into the empty nester stereotype, Cardinale said, rooted in the image of a distraught mother who can't function because her kids left home.
—Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for distraught
Cite this Entry
“Distraught.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distraught. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
distraught
adjective
dis·traught
dis-ˈtrȯt 
1
: disturbed with doubt or painful feelings
2
distraughtly
adverb
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