1
: agitated with doubt or mental conflict or pain
distraught mourners
2
: exhibiting a severely disordered state of mind : not mentally sound
… canst thou quake … / 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
Both the president and the first lady were distraught over their son’s sickness and death.
—James Powel, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
The post consisted of two dashcam images of a distraught 12-year-old who, desperate to heal her sick puppy, got behind the wheel for the first time and tried to drive to the vet.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
The story starts to unfold more briskly once Nolan gets Tully to agree to exchange Elsbeth for the increasingly and very loudly distraught store staffer in costume as Raggedy Ann.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
The 6-3, 6-0 loss in singles left her distraught.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distraught
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James Powel, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
The post consisted of two dashcam images of a distraught 12-year-old who, desperate to heal her sick puppy, got behind the wheel for the first time and tried to drive to the vet.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
The story starts to unfold more briskly once Nolan gets Tully to agree to exchange Elsbeth for the increasingly and very loudly distraught store staffer in costume as Raggedy Ann.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
The 6-3, 6-0 loss in singles left her distraught.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 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 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
distraught
adjective
dis·traught
dis-ˈtrȯt 
1
: disturbed with doubt or painful feelings
2
distraughtly
adverb
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