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

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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 Laertes becomes deeply distraught over his son’s two-decade absence, a grief that had already claimed his wife, Odysseus’ mother, Anticlea. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2026 Carney's grieving sister, Devon, wearing a Kerry GAA jersey and clutching a sunflower, was distraught as family members gathered around the hearse. — Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026 Claudia Morton, who lives near Durán Guerrero and his family and often waved to him, was distraught over the shooting. — Arkansas Online, 14 July 2026 On December 2, 1717, a distraught George Augustus and Caroline packed up their household and said goodbye to their children. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for distraught

Recent Examples of Synonyms for distraught

Adjective

Sometimes, Brun appeared agitated or sweaty at council meetings.

— Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026
Clancy became agitated, but never fully woke up once given the Narcan, which is typically used to treat heroin or fentanyl overdoes, Constanzo noted.

— Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 30 July 2026

Definition of agitated

Adjective

Truth is, Westside Cowboy — all of whom are in their early to mid-twenties — are just as worried about it all as anyone else.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2026
Buyers were interested but worried about the optics of a show revolving around two wealthy, gallivanting white guys.

— Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of worried

Adjective

Use of QACs soared during the Covid-19 pandemic as frightened masses sanitized themselves and nearly everything else in sight.

— Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Families were frightened, communities were looking for guidance, and clinicians were desperate for answers.

— Ronald Nahass, STAT, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of frightened

Adjective

His grandmother's frantic cleaning ahead of Passover, Hallegua’s favorite season.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
The heist goes wrong when one sister injures her back and ends up trapped on the second floor, setting off an increasingly frantic bid to get out before the homeowner comes home.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of frantic

Adjective

Lastly, to dull the war-mongering vigor of the Rivermen, Ormund installs small, scared little boys, ripped from their homes, all along the chemin de ronde — a baby human shield for Ser Daeron the Daring’s great army.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
And feeling so scared and so overwound by the idea that this was going to make or break our career.

— Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of scared

Adjective

During the attack, terrified students huddled together under their desks, sobbing as gunshots rang out nearby, video filmed inside a classroom and verified by CNN showed.

— Helen Regan, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
At a news conference, Twin Falls police released dramatic surveillance video that showed terrified employees diving for cover and shielding one another.

— Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of terrified

Adjective

Once the veteran players and most of the top seeds vanished from the Canadian Open, succumbing to injury and upset, the stakes of the tournament in Montreal took on a new edge.

— Ava Wallace, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Council member Chris Whatley said the entire council has been upset about the news of a data center, and vowed to do everything in his official capacity to protect Keller residents.

— Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of upset

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distrait

distraught

distress

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“Distraught.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distraught. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of distraught

adjective

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