1
as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety
distressing signs that another war might be imminent
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2
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
the distressing death of our favorite actor
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3
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
the distressing habit of constantly fiddling with her hair
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as in alarming
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
don't let all the bad news distress you
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distressing
Adjective
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Proponents have long invoked civil rights language to promote vouchers, a disturbing rhetorical choice given vouchers originated as a tool for southern white parents to avoid the Supreme Court's desegregation order in Brown v. Board of Education.—
Kevin Sabet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025 -
Actress Isabella Rossellini reflects on the film’s disturbing material and autobiographical elements while resisting reductive interpretations.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Based on real events during the Second World War, Dong Ji Island follows the tragic tale of a Japanese warship secretly transporting British prisoners of war and mistakenly attacked near the easternmost waters of China.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
9 May 2025
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What initially feels like a freak accident — and which, in turn, freaks out everyone in the family, Max most obviously — is soon revealed to be the start of a tragic pattern.—
Manuel Betancourt,
Variety,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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These chewy ginger candies are her secret weapon for taming an uneasy stomach naturally.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
9 May 2025
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The Wall Street firm predicted that international institutional investors could be rethinking their appetite and risk-reward in U.S. investments as the current uneasy macroenvironment keeps them on edge.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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Squeezing into the narrow confines, the clang of the metal doors closing and the nearness of their neighbors can be unsettling, if not downright dangerous.—
Dana O'Neil,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
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That's unsettling for Mobile native Darron Patterson.—
Debbie Elliott,
NPR,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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After a half-decade of unfortunate injuries and the still-strange collapse in the bubble, Leonard at last looks like his two-time Finals MVP self.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
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Tau also has the unfortunate ability to form clumps known as tangles in the brain, again interfering with normal cellular communication.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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This productivity decline stems from several factors: Workplace morale deteriorates Remaining employees absorb additional responsibilities Teams become anxious about future job security When employees question whether their leaders truly value them, their enthusiasm and dedication suffer.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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Nobel laureates, such as MIT’s Daron Acemoglu, are worried about its capacity to worsen income inequalities, and ordinary American workers are anxious about AI’s impact on jobs.—
Bhaskar Chakravorti,
Harvard Business Review,
8 May 2025
Verb
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Occupying and distracting the mind.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
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While most of the acting is wonderful (Wyle is predictably great, but so is just about all of the main cast), some patient-of-the-week players err towards distracting histrionics.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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That historical tension—between the promise of scientific freedom and the peril of political control—may now be resurfacing in troubling ways.—
Alondra Nelson,
Time,
13 May 2025
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Even beyond the legal angle, this chaotic tariff regime reveals something more troubling: a total absence of strategic thinking.—
Aron Solomon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Distressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressing. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
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