as in agitated
feeling overwhelming fear or worry
distraught relatives waiting to learn whether there were any survivors of the plane crash
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Recent Examples of distraught
Driver and Teller tease out a rich spectrum of sibling emotions; as Irwin’s distraught yet determined wife, Hester, Scarlett Johansson gives a piercing performance.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026
Brayan Rayo Garzon was distraught.
—CBS News, 27 May 2026
Gocaj’s distraught relatives told WABC Eyewitness News that the Westchester resident had two children and two grandchildren.
—New York Daily News, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026
The actor and hair stylist, who met Weinstein in her twenties while trying to make it as an actor in Hollywood, spent five days on the stand, frequently becoming distraught while divulging deeply personal details about her life and four-year relationship with Weinstein.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for distraught
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2026
Brayan Rayo Garzon was distraught.
—CBS News, 27 May 2026
Gocaj’s distraught relatives told WABC Eyewitness News that the Westchester resident had two children and two grandchildren.
—New York Daily News, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026
The actor and hair stylist, who met Weinstein in her twenties while trying to make it as an actor in Hollywood, spent five days on the stand, frequently becoming distraught while divulging deeply personal details about her life and four-year relationship with Weinstein.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for distraught
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distraught
Adjective
-
There should be trainings at your school on how to deal with agitated students and hostile situations.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
8 June 2026
-
Johnson became further agitated when Scott asked her about her seemingly troubled relationship with her daughters.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Anthropic is also worried that competitors could use Anthropic’s AI systems to turbocharge their own research — Anthropic uses its own AI systems to help create the next generation of its models.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
-
Brandon, who lives in Rockwell, North Carolina, is worried that new Medicaid work requirements starting next year could jeopardize her health coverage.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
After the arrests, children in her van became frightened and initially refused to get out.—
Racquel Bazos,
Baltimore Sun,
11 June 2026
-
Flavia Pupo, a manager at a hotel in Pinar del Río, told AP that the shaking rattled the building and frightened people in the area.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
But listening to Magazine—their new 10-track, 11-minute album—that artful density becomes singular, swaying as much as whipping between its frantic ideas.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
12 June 2026
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The criteria include frantic efforts to avoid abandonment, having unstable relationships, identity disturbance, impulsive behavior, chronic feelings of emptiness, intense anger, emotional instability, paranoia or dissociation under stress, and recurrent suicidal behavior or self-harm.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Is this person happy, sad, scared?—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
8 June 2026
-
The clinic struggled to keep staff during the epidemic and the nurse was too scared to run it by herself, Dunn said.—
Imani Cruzen,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
An Orange County man downed 2 quarts of Jack Daniel’s before firing a gun multiple times inside his Laguna Niguel home, forcing terrified relatives to flee.—
Seamus Bozeman
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Social media video showed dozens of terrified elementary schoolchildren crouching down outdoors as the ground beneath them swayed violently in the province of Davao Occidental.—
Kathleen Magramo,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
Their 1-0 win over England on June 29, 1950, in Brazil is considered the biggest upset in World Cup history.—
Chuck Murr,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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Golden State won in overtime, and Cleveland’s upset chances fizzled almost immediately.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Distraught.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distraught. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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