1
as in agony
a state of great suffering of body or mind
the upcoming bar exam is causing us considerable distress the survivors were in extreme distress after having been stranded on the island for a week with no food
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in risk
the state of not being protected from injury, harm, or evil
a ship in distress
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to alarm
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
don't let all the bad news distress you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distress
Meriam Bouarrouj, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2025
This tool can guide you from emotional distress back to your calm, confident, connected self.
—CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
And taking in the influx of often gruesome, distressing details isn't always helpful.
—Sam Woodward, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distress
Noun
Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families said on Tuesday that another child experienced respiratory distress symptoms similar to those of the infant who died, according to KARE 11.
—Meriam Bouarrouj, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2025
This tool can guide you from emotional distress back to your calm, confident, connected self.
—CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
You might be rightfully distressed that the AI has opted to serve as a co-conspirator in the crafting and extension of the delusional thinking.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
And taking in the influx of often gruesome, distressing details isn't always helpful.
—Sam Woodward, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distress
Noun
-
Safdie may have found a new way to make a sports drama, one that relies less on the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat and more on all that is contained in the ambivalent middle.—
Richard Lawson,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Lessing expresses no regret or agony at her childhood actions, or at what happens next.—
Rebecca van Laer
September 30,
Literary Hub,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The fire risk is related to a problem with the engine starter, which can affect cars that are both parked and in motion, according to a notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
-
They are designed to protect homes and businesses against the type of winter storms that have severely flooded the low-lying community of Alviso multiple times with water up to 6 feet deep and which are posing more risk as sea level rises due to climate change.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Union leaders are also alarmed by new regulations announced Tuesday that increase the minimum number of workers required to form a union from 20 to 50, and raise the maximum number of unions per factory from three to five.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
-
European leaders, alarmed at the rise in airspace incursions and the security threat that drones pose, proposed building a drone wall to protect the region’s eastern flank against potential attacks and incursions.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Garner watches his anguish, with respect.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Although many questions remain, the few answers the Vaneks have, however tenuous, serve as an antidote to the anguish of never knowing.—
Ted Katauskas,
Outside,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
For Moura, the echoes of Brazil’s dictatorship and the dangers of authoritarianism repeating itself, fed directly into The Secret Agent.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Sep. 2025
-
The greater danger is that alarmist messaging will discourage pregnant women from treating pain or fever – putting both themselves and their babies at risk.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Her attorneys said Ozturk, a Turkish national, spent six weeks in detention for writing an op-ed in her student newspaper the year before that criticized the university’s rejection of student government resolutions concerning Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
30 Sep. 2025
-
More concerning still is what the expiration of AGOA portends for the future, the academic believes.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
ElAttrache recommended a shoulder debridement to relieve the pain Stewart has continued to feel in his shoulder.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
27 Sep. 2025
-
For now, love evades understanding—which means that finding someone will remain, much of the time, a pain in the ass.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Unclear recommendations have unfortunately put access and insurance coverage into jeopardy this year.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The series is all flirtation without consummation, amusement without mirth, inconvenience without jeopardy.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distress. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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