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
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Recent Examples of distresses
Amber Gaudet, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 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, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distresses
Noun
-
Feerick took pains to explain that Section 4 is not designed to be a tool used by an opposition party to remove a President.—
Diego Lasarte,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The results came so fast that the normal MLS growing pains — the ugly nights, the roster strain, the tactical doubt, the emotional drag of losing — seemed to skip San Diego entirely.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The worms thrash and move erratically with a snake-like motion that disturbs the topsoil.—
Maria Braganini,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
There are lots of things weightlessness disturbs, even in the short run.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And yet, in the scene on the Hill of Love, Lapid offers no self-questioning, no sense of cinematic exertion or trouble, in the fictional framing of the real agonies of Gaza.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The celebrated poet and memoirist, delves into the agonies of her decision and describes the emerging women’s liberation movement, of which Moore would soon become a participant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This is hurtful and bothers me a lot.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
5 May 2026
-
My fiance struggles with communication and tends to pretend nothing bothers him.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Inarguably one of the best teams in the country annually, the Boilermakers had a string of March miseries.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
18 Mar. 2026
-
And allergy miseries don’t end after the spring.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Reincke worries the hype about AI replacing radiologists entirely may discourage medical students.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
4 May 2026
-
Bouzine says roughly 80% of his customers typically arrive on Spirit flights and worries the shutdown will have widespread effects.—
Eva Andersen,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
We are told that raising these questions distracts from the issues that matter, such as rising costs, persistent crime and the condition of our city.—
Mark Conway,
Baltimore Sun,
9 May 2026
-
Or maybe a still-working phonograph of Edison’s invention distracts you, until a wall of portraits of 1920s electrical manufacturing workers pulls your gaze in a new direction.—
Michael Kilian,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The excess is real; the debate concerns its origin.—
Paul M. Sutter,
Scientific American,
6 May 2026
-
What concerns leaders of local governments are projections that show a troubling trend downward.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Distresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distresses. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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