1
as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety
distressing signs that another war might be imminent
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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The story has crushingly tragic elements and contemplates the big mysteries of life and death through a spiritual lens.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
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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None of his previous work has been released in the U.S., which is unfortunate because Demoustier (brother of the talented actress Anaïs) is one of those rare French filmmakers who can blend suspense with perceptive writing and characterization, resulting in artsy thrillers that dig deep.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2025
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The coworker that went through this in particular took two more weeks unpaid, which in my opinion is also incredibly unfortunate.—
Jordan Fennell,
Hartford Courant,
14 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
-
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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Grammy-winning artist John Legend opened up about the troubling transformation of longtime collaborator and friend Kanye West in a candid interview with The London Times published on Saturday (May 10).—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
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 20 May. 2025.
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