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

To support the project, the company has sought state tax incentives through the Texas Enterprise Zone Program, which offers sales and use tax breaks to encourage private investment and job creation in economically distressed areas. —Karoline Leonard, Austin American Statesman, 18 Mar. 2026

The suspect's ex-wife also said that Ghazali had been deeply distressed after two of his brothers along with their kids were killed in an Israeli airstrike. —Adam Sabes , Garrett Tenney, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026

Barnes & Noble’s purchase of distressed local shops in Denver and San Francisco has been bittersweet for book lovers in those cities, who may resent the chain but relish the preservation of their local institutions. —Henry Grabar, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2026

As prey animals, horses are sensitive to signs of potential danger and can easily become distressed. —Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 13 Mar. 2026

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