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 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 Multiple people, including the distraught parents of the child and two officers who were at the hospital, had questioned whether the child was breathing after he was declared dead, according to the police report. — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 7 July 2026 Plus, Brazilian fans and players were left distraught and searching for answers after an elimination by Norway, whose striker Erling Haaland solidified his superstar status with another brace. — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 6 July 2026 In fact, when a distraught Tom Hayward suddenly reappears, a content Mary is strolling in a local park on her own. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for distraught

Recent Examples of Synonyms for distraught

Adjective

The bison then appeared to become agitated and began running toward the pair.

— Sara Smart, CNN Money, 13 July 2026
The animal, clearly agitated, appeared to target the man in footage captured Friday at one of the park's campgrounds.

— Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 13 July 2026

Definition of agitated

Adjective

If anyone was worried about a lack of personality from SEC coaches this coming season, their fears were likely quelled during SEC Media Days this week.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026
Luria, however, worried about that tangle of investments which bind the AI giants to their own customers; the love triangle of Google, Amazon and Anthropic; Microsoft and OpenAI, Nvidia and CoreWeave.

— Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 23 July 2026

Definition of worried

Adjective

Perel compares the moment facing today’s executives to the one facing a parent with a frightened child.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 17 July 2026
The bear, seemingly frightened, quickly turns away from the boy and continues running, sliding under a boat parked in the driveway.

— Mason Leib, ABC News, 7 July 2026

Definition of frightened

Adjective

Towns still rebuilding are hit by new floods Volunteer firefighters spent the night evacuating homes and answering frantic calls in Ingram, just up river from Hunt, said Ingram Mayor Claud Jordan.

— Jesse Bedayn, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
The frantic antics and manic-yet-precise playing at times jaw-dropping.

— Steve Hochman, SPIN, 15 July 2026

Definition of frantic

Adjective

Òdódó’s transformation from a naïve and scared young woman into a powerful and influential queen at the king’s court is both remarkable and realistic, and so is her complex relationship with her husband (and captor).

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
Some nights, when he was stressed or scared, Jean would tell him stories.

— Juliet Linderman, Fortune, 16 July 2026

Definition of scared

Adjective

Part of his charm here included playing the stalwart father figure to two terrified kids — someone a child could trust to stick around and keep watch all night when the dinosaurs came chomping.

— Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 14 July 2026
On the 14th floor, three of them broke into Ojeda’s apartment, handcuffed him in front of his terrified wife and son, and dragged him out, according to court documents and security video.

— Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 10 July 2026

Definition of terrified

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 24 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of distraught

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on distraught

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

itinerant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

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

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes