distressed

adjective

dis·tressed | \di-ˈstrest

Definition of distressed

: 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

Worcester police had responded to a report of a distressed swimmer at 8:09 p.m. Wednesday. — Thomas Oide, BostonGlobe.com, "Drowning toll rises to 3 in past 2 days," 5 July 2018 Knowing a distressed caller’s exact location has the obvious benefit of being able to dispatch the right response team quickly and efficiently. — Brian Barrett, WIRED, "By Pushing Your Location Straight to 911, iOS 12 Will Save Lives," 18 June 2018 The distressed parent said Guzman-Garcia wasn't wearing his pants, police say, and the girl's underwear was on the ground. — Josh Magness, charlotteobserver, "'A monster took me': He abducted 4-year-old from her bedroom — and tried to rape her, cops say," 14 June 2018 Dad wore grey pants with a white tee, black denim jacket and distressed combat boots, while Jordan sported a graphic tee, black tulle skirt and black kitten heels. — Jeff Nelson, PEOPLE.com, "Father-Daughter Night! Dierks Bentley Walks CMT Awards Red Carpet with 7-Year-Old Jordan," 6 June 2018 The fact that his first year as Commander in Chief disoriented and distressed members of the media and political establishment is not a bug but a feature…. President Trump is doing what he was elected to do: disrupt the status quo. — David Carrig, USA TODAY, "Time's 2018 Most Influential People list has record number of women, people under 40," 19 Apr. 2018 Currently, school districts have few options outside of appealing to DUAB for help as a financially impaired or distressed unit. — Arika Herron, Indianapolis Star, "Bill would sack school leaders in financially ailing districts," 17 Jan. 2018 What’s a distressed-debt fund to do when the market just isn’t feeling the pain? — Cecile Gutscher, Bloomberg.com, "With Little Distress to Feast On, Here's How Vulture Funds Cope," 16 May 2018 Many individuals living in our most distressed rural areas – and countless more individuals in concentrated pockets in even our most bustling metros – have not returned to pre-recession levels of employment. — charlotteobserver, "Ashley Christensen," 3 July 2018

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

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Statistics for distressed

Last Updated

5 Nov 2018

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Time Traveler for distressed

The first known use of distressed was in 1613

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More Definitions for distressed

distressed

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of distressed

: feeling or showing extreme unhappiness or pain

: not having enough money : experiencing financial trouble

—used to describe something (such as a piece of clothing or furniture) that has been made to look old or to look like something that has been used a lot

See the full definition for distressed in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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