as in disease
an abnormal state that disrupts a plant's or animal's normal bodily functioning
contracted some tropical distemper while he was doing research in the jungles of Borneo
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to alarm
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
despite his career success, he has been distempered by nagging feelings of inadequacy his whole life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of distemper
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
The bear tested negative for rabies and distemper.
—Bill Bowden, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2025
The skunk with distemper is stuck in the window well again, chewing incessantly on the garden hose that is coiled up in there.
—Miriam Toews
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Raccoons can spread diseases like rabies, distemper, parvovirus Raccoons can transmit rabies, canine distemper and parvovirus to domestic animals and humans.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distemper
Noun
Samples collected from the bear were sent to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the Arkansas Department of Health to test for distemper and rabies.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
The bear tested negative for rabies and distemper.
—Bill Bowden, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2025
The skunk with distemper is stuck in the window well again, chewing incessantly on the garden hose that is coiled up in there.
—Miriam Toews
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Raccoons can spread diseases like rabies, distemper, parvovirus Raccoons can transmit rabies, canine distemper and parvovirus to domestic animals and humans.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distemper
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distemper
Noun
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The finding has the potential to provide a longer runway to make the lifestyle changes that can help reduce risk, and could be used to better identify subjects who could benefit from participating in clinical trials seeking to prevent or treat neurodegenerative disease.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
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Hall of Fame high school football coach Bob Johnson, who built powerhouse programs at El Toro and Mission Viejo and became known for mentoring for his sons and other top quarterbacks, died Wednesday after a long fight with Alzheimer’s disease, his son Bret confirmed.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The statistics should alarm anyone concerned about American AI leadership.—
Eric Schmidt,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
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Those conflicts, however, did not initially appear serious enough to alarm adults around them.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After falling behind early in camp due to an illness, Sheehan made his first appearance in the Cactus League Wednesday against Team Mexico.—
Jack Vita,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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When faced with a patient suffering from an illness, many nurses err on the side of prescribing something.—
Jonathan Lambert,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So, changing your eating patterns can disturb it and affect blood sugar control.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
8 Mar. 2026
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Shuttle buses often pause to allow passengers to observe animals without disturbing them.—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The complaint states Geter Pinder suffers from severe emotional distress, anxiety, paranoia about her safety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other ailments.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
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The complaint states Geter Pinder suffers from severe emotional distress, anxiety, paranoia about her safety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments.—
Abby Dodge,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Voters are also distressed by the decline in their quality of life, as well as the country’s muddled political landscape – a fact indicated by the twenty candidates for president alone.—
Djenane Villanueva,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
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Ecru denim also made an appearance, baggy and distressed for a grittier winter look.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Faced with high rates of suicide and other ills such as addiction, corrections officers have long been concerned about the stress and violence of their jobs.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
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Reform’s pitch to voters is that, for many of these ills, mass immigration is to blame.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Up until the past decade or so, food critics seldom bothered to write about casual cafes such as Zip's, instead focusing on the newest shiny-object restaurants in town.—
Keith Pandolfi,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Mar. 2026
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None of that seems to have bothered Trump.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Distemper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distemper. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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