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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The movie takes pains to illustrate how the possible end of the world will begin like any other day.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025 -
Colleagues who failed to take similar pains earned his everlasting disdain.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Currently comprising more than 8,300 active satellites, the Starlink constellation also disturbs radio telescope observations.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The water is perfectly clear — until someone brushes the side of the cave or disturbs the soft bottom, sending fine silt particles billowing into the beam of a headlamp.—
Jennifer Walker,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
That’s what bothers me about it.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
30 Oct. 2025
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Why ban books, Postman asked, if no one bothers to read them?—
Time,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
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But current virus variants continue to spread burning throats, fevers and other miseries.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the short term, Jaime also worries that some workers may have no choice but to leave their children in less-than-ideal settings to keep working – like with an adult in the community who's informally looking after many of the children who would otherwise be in Head Start.—
Cory Turner,
NPR,
29 Oct. 2025
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Lyman also worries that money spent of fusion could siphon dollars from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Antonio distracts him by accusing him in the town square of sending Justina off to El Alcazar and poisoning his son.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
12 Oct. 2025
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And when our American players have to control the crowd, that distracts them from playing.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As Sportico has detailed, many of these cases have come up short, including because courts have found the VPPA concerns information that would be decipherable to an ordinary person—like a list of videos someone watched—whereas interpretation of cookies requires technology and expertise.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
31 Oct. 2025
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Proposition 50 is on the ballot in California, which concerns the Democrats’ proposed redistricting map.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But what alarms him most is the silence from the business community.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
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While Cherry is more versed at keeping her rage simmering just below the surface, Laura struggles to hide her anguish and disgust, which alarms those closest to her.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Distresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distresses. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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