Synonyms of distressing

distressing 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in disturbing

causing worry or anxiety

distressing signs that another war might be imminent

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disturbing
• unsettling
• troubling
• frightening
• upsetting
• troublesome
• scary
• nasty
• disquieting
• discomforting
• worrisome
• shocking
• perturbing
• nagging
• horrible
• terrible
• terrifying
• troublous
• discouraging
• disconcerting
• dire
• discomposing
• disheartening
• demoralizing
• dismaying
• alarming
• dispiriting
• daunting
• dreadful
• chilling
• dread
• discomfiting
• direful
• fearful
• horrifying
• forbidding
• ghastly
• frightful
• formidable
• persecutory
• horrendous
• intimidating
• harassing
• fearsome
• persecutive
• hair-raising

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reassuring
• settling
• soothing
• calming
• comforting
• narcotic
• relaxing
• dreamy
• sedative
• inviting
• tranquilizing
• quieting
• consoling
• lulling
• pacifying

2

as in tragic

of a kind to cause great distress

the distressing death of our favorite actor

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tragic
• unfortunate
• terrible
• disturbing
• shocking
• deplorable
• regrettable
• horrible
• painful
• distressful
• lamentable
• unsettling
• grievous
• sickening
• heartbreaking
• sad
• dire
• woeful
• unlucky
• awful
• troublesome
• heartrending
• disastrous
• severe
• alarming
• fearful
• dreadful
• traumatic
• miserable
• unbearable
• pitiful
• vexatious
• overwhelming
• crushing
• horrifying
• moving
• touching
• poignant
• affecting
• wretched
• piteous
• doleful
• intolerable
• harrowing
• excruciating
• perturbing
• calamitous
• ruthful
• sharp
• raging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rewarding
• gratifying
• satisfying
• pleasing
• comforting
• encouraging
• heartening
• inspiring
• happy
• fortunate
• lucky
• heartwarming
• cheering

3

as in uneasy

marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings

the distressing habit of constantly fiddling with her hair

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disturbing
• uneasy
• unsettling
• anxious
• tense
• distressful
• nervous
• restless
• unnerving
• disquieting
• creepy
• worrisome
• fraught
• agitating
• embarrassing
• hairy
• nerve-racking
• troublesome
• nail-biting
• bothersome
• discouraging
• strained
• disheartening
• awkward
• foreboding
• misgiving
• restive
• unrestful

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• comfortable
• peaceful
• quiet
• tranquil
• calming
• restful
• quieting
• pacific

distressing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of distress

as in alarming

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy

don't let all the bad news distress you

Synonyms & Similar Words

• alarming
• disturbing
• distracting
• worrying
• bothering
• concerning
• unsettling
• upsetting
• angering
• haunting
• discomforting
• agitating
• disquieting
• dismaying
• plaguing
• annoying
• irritating
• perturbing
• ailing
• confusing
• undoing
• unhinging
• derailing
• embarrassing
• exercising
• aggravating
• rattling
• exasperating
• fussing
• freaking (out)
• discomposing
• distempering
• bugging
• frazzling
• discouraging
• hagriding
• harassing
• flurrying
• disconcerting
• vexing
• weirding out
• galling
• irking
• pestering
• nettling
• mortifying
• chafing
• fretting
• harrying
• jarring
• riling
• disheartening
• grating
• discomfiting
• bedeviling
• unnerving
• confounding
• putting off
• dispiriting
• demoralizing
• getting
• putting out
• daunting
• flustering
• chivying
• piquing
• discountenancing
• peeving
• shaking up
• nonplussing
• abashing
• fazing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• soothing
• calming
• composing
• settling
• quieting
• alleviating
• allaying
• tranquilizing
• pacifying
• appeasing
• assuaging
• placating
• conciliating
• mollifying
• propitiating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of distressing

Adjective

Vintage blue, washed black, and off-white denim with no distressing or extra detailing easily pairs with neutral knits and retro sneakers. — Abby Hepworth, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2026

Children who receive care from pediatric palliative care specialists have less pain, nausea and other distressing symptoms that can affect their day-to-day function and overall quality of life. — Emilee Flynn, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2026

Kreutzer, the Austrian writer-director, was inspired to start working on this idea by distressing reports of a pedophile network in Germany. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026

What should have been a happy childhood moment became heartbreaking and distressing for him and deeply painful for our family to witness. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026

When the body is starving, the brain will return an incessant and often distressing loop of thoughts about food, an adaptive response designed to prioritize renourishment that clinicians try to harness rather than shut down. — Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026

The details are stark and distressing, but Udal wants to talk about it to try to raise awareness of mental illness. — Paul Newman, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026

Balenciaga offered a variety of wide-leg jeans—some with twisted seams and heavy distressing. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026

Meanwhile, fake distressing tends to look random or overly uniform. — Shagun Khare, Martha Stewart, 28 Sep. 2026

Verb

Thieves have tried to break into Taylor Minatogawa’s business five times in the last two months, distressing him so much he’s spent at least a dozen nights inside his shop keeping guard. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026

Its mid-rise Harlow jeans are composed of a cotton and elastane blend, with a powder-blue hue and strategic hints of distressing down the leg. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025