distraught

adjective

dis·traught | \di-ˈstrȯt

Definition of distraught

1 : agitated with doubt or mental conflict or pain distraught mourners

2 : mentally deranged : crazed as if thou wert distraught and mad with terror— William Shakespeare

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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.

Recent Examples on the Web

The trailer ends with a visibly distraught Frank, who lets out a worried sigh while sitting at his desk. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "The New 'Blue Bloods' Trailer for Season 9 Is Here and It's So Intense," 26 Sep. 2018 The kicker in this piece is when anonymous claims that the cabinet officials, so distraught by the president even toyed with the idea of invoking the 25th Amendment. — Fox News, "Kellyanne Conway reacts to anonymous 'resistance' NYT op-ed," 5 Sep. 2018 Many Chinese have volunteered their services at the hospital to help distraught relatives. — Fox News, "Thailand pledges justice for Chinese victims of boat tragedy," 8 July 2018 On a bright morning last June, a man who was distraught over President Trump’s election opened fire on the Republican congressional baseball team here at a public park complex. — Noah Weiland, New York Times, "9 Minutes of Terror, 12 Months of Recovery: Inside the Republican Baseball Team’s Return," 10 June 2018 As his unease with the project grows, Popkin’s protagonist, Nicholas Moscowitz, becomes increasingly distraught over the prospect of selling out. — Inga Saffron, Philly.com, "In Queen Village, life imitates art, but with a Target store and too much parking," 24 May 2018 Yvonne is distraught, casting ugly aspersions on Madeleine. — Robert Abele, latimes.com, "Review: Jean Cocteau's masterful 1948 'Les Parents Terribles' is a treat for movie lovers," 12 July 2018 The report shows Boca Raton police talked to Milkevic’s girlfriend, who was distraught over his death and had wanted to marry him. — Anne Geggis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Man's shooting death on I-95 in Boca was likely random," 29 June 2018 And once his death was confirmed, even more distraught reactions flooded social media from Kanye West, Sylvan LaCue and many more. — Taylor Weatherby, Billboard, "Kanye West, Joey Bada$$, Lil Xan & More React to XXXTentacion's Death," 18 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'distraught.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.