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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distraught
Some Palestinians in Gaza have been left distraught by the ban.
—
Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 29 May 2025
Tommy and Jesse then showed up to bring a distraught Ellie back to the theater.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 26 May 2025
Elsewhere, a distraught young woman (Ortega) drenches a house’s interior with gasoline and sets it on fire, then drives to a gas station to refill her canister.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
Simone initially doesn’t respond to the proposal, too distraught at the sudden ask and her estranged father’s presence.
—Francesca Gariano, People.com, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for distraught
Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 29 May 2025
Tommy and Jesse then showed up to bring a distraught Ellie back to the theater.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 26 May 2025
Elsewhere, a distraught young woman (Ortega) drenches a house’s interior with gasoline and sets it on fire, then drives to a gas station to refill her canister.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
Simone initially doesn’t respond to the proposal, too distraught at the sudden ask and her estranged father’s presence.
—Francesca Gariano, People.com, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for distraught
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distraught
Adjective
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Ernst faced a number of agitated constituents at a town hall on Friday who expressed concerns that Republican cuts to Medicaid in the bill that would fund Trump's legislative agenda.—
Benjamin Siegel,
ABC News,
2 June 2025
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Published in 2019, the book follows a woman named Lillian who becomes the caretaker of her old friend Madison's twin stepchildren — who spontaneously ignite in flames when agitated.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Georgia, too, is worried about Ginny's behind-the-scenes machinations.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
7 June 2025
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The freemium search engine Kagi isn't worried about having the most comprehensive index.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Horses are naturally skittish animals that can easily become frightened and bolt.—
Moná Thomas,
People.com,
27 May 2025
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Footage from the immediate aftermath captured mothers and fathers clutching children on their hips, running through the mist of water dousing the flames, while frightened dogs scrambled alongside them.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Irritatingly, my frantic battle to do so is not sufficiently compelling to warrant further description.—
Caity Weaver,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2025
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While there have been phone calls between the two, the handshake accompanied by the frantic clicks of camera shutters will mark the start of the new German-US relationship.—
Sebastian Shukla,
CNN Money,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Mines says most of the volunteers like her were scared of getting arrested.—
Marta Martínez,
NPR,
8 June 2025
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Gina Castillo, the foundation's Rescue Director, was first alerted by a local contact about a small, scared senior dog that had been brought into a Long Beach shelter.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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Local fans were also upset at how ticketing was organised, with empty seats in temporary stands at their Montilivi ground for most games.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
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When the Eaton and Palisades fires sparked in January — respectively the second- and third-most destructive in California history — familiarity, friend groups and routines were upset for Emory and many of her peers.—
Emma Bowman,
NPR,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distraught.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distraught. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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