DISTRAUGHT Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

distraught

adjective

di-ˈstrȯt

Definition of distraught

as in agitated

feeling overwhelming fear or worry distraught relatives waiting to learn whether there were any survivors of the plane crash

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of distraught The Loyola Blakefield graduate and founder of First Team Staffing, an organization centered around staffing professional and temporary workers, was distraught over his sudden inability to consistently drive off the tee. — Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2026 But today’s Court often divides along stark ideological lines, and the liberals often sound truly distraught in their dissents. — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 One distraught woman sat on the ground next to a large pool of blood as another woman embraced her. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026 Some jurors cried while others looked distraught during the testimony. — Kristina Rex, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for distraught

Recent Examples of Synonyms for distraught

Adjective

Migratory birds in captivity develop Zugunruhe, an agitated fitfulness, at certain times of year.

— Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Following instructions from the kidnappers (unbeknownst to his increasingly agitated comrades), Lee drives out to meet them for the exchange, only to wreck his car and become distracted saving a nearby woman, Hua (Moon Lee).

— Jake Cole, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of agitated

Adjective

Millions of amateur athletes play tackle football each year, and as evidence mounts at the professional level of the dangers of CTE, parents are increasingly worried about their children going into the sport.

— Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026
At the start of the novel, when the Koh children, Bo, DH, and Mido, are struggling in Korean schools after years of living abroad, their mother, Helen, gets worried.

— Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of worried

Adjective

Nations are sustained not just by declarations and famous generals, but by less celebrated moments when frightened, exhausted people decide not to give up.

— Harry Ostrer, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Also at top of mind was the film’s sound design, which is deliberately used as another tool to make the audience feel frightened and uncomfortable.

— William Earl, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of frightened

Adjective

Around her, Youth builds an impressively frantic web of relationships and plot snarls.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Stocks tied to the AI boom slumped on Monday after the three biggest AI bosses warned the frantic pace of model development needed to be slowed.

— Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of frantic

Browse Nearby Words

distrait

distraught

distress

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Distraught.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distraught. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of distraught

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

confabulate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes