DISTRESSES Synonyms: 135 Similar and Opposite Words

distresses 1 of 2

noun

plural of distress

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

distresses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of distress

as in disturbs

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy don't let all the bad news distress you

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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 distresses

Noun

Pain, infection, medication side effects, and other physical and emotional distresses may be expressed through shouting, intimidating gestures, kicking, pushing, or punching. — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026

Verb

About 6 million Americans had opioid use disorder — a problematic pattern of opioid use that significantly impairs or distresses a patient — as of 2022, according to the CDC. — Amber Gaudet, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for distresses

Noun

Flock fights to obscure 100,000 cameras For Flock protesters, cases like the one in Florida are disturbing, since Flock appears to take great pains to obscure who owns cameras where and how large its camera network is.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 28 Oct. 2026
Communications obtained under the state’s public records law — first published by the Animal Welfare Institute and reported on by the Salt Lake Tribune — show Utah officials took pains to protect the farm’s privacy amid the outbreak.

— Nat Lash, ProPublica, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of pains

Verb

Some of the sightings claim a man wearing clothing typical of the 17th or 18th centuries, a man dressed in Confederate attire in the liquor room, a ghost of a former worker Joseph Hardesty and a female who actively disturbs visitors to her home.

— Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
Vibration disturbs the natural sediments in wine, flattening the flavor and aging it prematurely.

— Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of disturbs

Noun

There are few harsher agonies than waiting, and throughout the great expanse of the CPKC ‘International’ Grand Prix presented by Rolex at the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’, two riders felt that in very different ways.

— Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Sadly, in discouraging all the phantom agonies, FIFA inadvertently seems to have done away with the equally farcical phenomenon that is Magic Spray®.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of agonies

Verb

Television doesn’t lack for comedies that deliver biting satire and cogent commentary — that are, in fact, so committed to commentary that nobody bothers to even include jokes.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
When asked if this bothers him at all, Shaq launches into a story about his youth.

— Marlow Stern, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of bothers

Noun

Some residents said hope is elusive given the island’s litany of miseries – from natural disasters to a bankrupt government to a financial control board that manages funding for infrastructure.

— Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Cyclospora, an intestinal parasite, has sickened thousands of people and hospitalized hundreds with explosive diarrhea, painful cramping, or other gastrointestinal miseries.

— Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of miseries

Verb

Tehran fears that surrendering its maritime leverage first would invite fresh demands; Washington worries that easing pressure would reward coercion without securing lasting constraints on Iran’s nuclear program.

— Ali Vaez, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
With construction expected deep into the night, Ping worries, the dust and vibrations will only worsen.

— Curbed, Curbed, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of worries

Verb

Theranos whistleblower Tyler Shultz and Bad Blood author John Carreyrou have both weighed in, and Fortune has questioned whether her new persona distracts from the real story.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
Similarly, Sudan hopes that internal conflict in Ethiopia distracts Addis from its support of the rapid support forces militia in Sudan’s war.

— Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of distracts

Verb

What concerns me even more is that Katy works in the travel industry and still couldn't explain exactly how someone got into her account.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
The allegation was previously investigated The latest allegation concerns an October 2016 New York Times story related to a secret court order that required Yahoo to scan emails for messages potentially linked to a foreign terrorist organization.

— Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of concerns

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“Distresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distresses. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of distresses

noun

verb

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