distressed

adjective

dis·​tressed di-ˈstrest 

: 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

After being alerted to a distressed whale in the area by anglers, an NSRI vessel was dispatched to the scene. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025

Crews altered course to reach the distressed vessel, which was just off the coast of Massachusetts’ capital city. —Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025

An acceleration in the second quarter and a robust performance across all channels and geographies helped the Italian brand, best known for its successful Super–star sneakers and intentionally distressed styles, report a strong set of results for the first half of the year. —Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025

Prada, in particular, has championed the moto jacket—their distressed styles have made an impact on and off the runway. —Christina Holevas, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for distressed

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