as in pains
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in disturbs
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distresses
Noun
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In fact, Williams took great pains to establish that his primary objective is building the Terps (7-7, 0-3 Big Ten), not tearing down a 21-year-old prospect, the Bears or the sport’s governing body.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Jan. 2026 -
Those in their fifties and beyond require the same amount of sleep as younger adults—and may actually benefit from sleeping more to offset nightly wake-ups from aches and pains, medication side effects, or dealing with the need to urinate more frequently in the middle of the night.—
Emma Loewe,
Outside,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Though the time change allows for more daylight in the spring and summer evenings, many have argued the change disturbs the body's circadian rhythms and has significant health drawbacks.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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For instance, the downward airflow from the drone propellers disturbs the dust, increasing contamination risks, and the team had to develop additional safety measures to mitigate them.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Her film is an honorable attempt to dramatize the everyday agonies and frustrations of Red Crescent workers, to honor their quick thinking and astonishing courage under duress.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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People don’t think this bothers me.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Fortune,
26 Jan. 2026
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At one point, Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni and the Wayfarer Studios defendants, asked Lively if negative publicity bothers her.—
Benjamin VanHoose,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The victims of prejudice and inequality are always the best guardians of the ramparts that sustain those miseries.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
23 Nov. 2025
-
Falling support in Gaza Palestinian public pressure on Hamas has risen as the miseries of war have mounted.—
Mkhaimar Abusada,
The Conversation,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Reyes worries the winter storm gripping North Texas will have serious consequences for her finances.—
Elissa Jorgensen,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Jan. 2026
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Isabel worries about a golf ball hitting her amid the customers’ wild swings.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Paying too much attention to AI benchmarks distracts from the tech's real value — when it is integrated into existing gaming or entertainment ecosystems such as Tencent's, Ivan Su, senior equity analyst at Morningstar, said in a note.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
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Start by clearing what distracts you.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Sure enough, the pounds start falling off, at a rate that concerns the increasingly interested Alanya.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
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By making the characters’ concerns full-length musical numbers, High School Musical acknowledges just how all encompassing these problems can feel.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
24 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Distresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distresses. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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