DISTRESSFUL Synonyms: 98 Similar and Opposite Words

distressful

adjective

di-ˈstres-fəl

Definition of distressful

as in uneasy

marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings the distressful period during which we waited to learn who had made the cut

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in tragic

of a kind to cause great distress the distressful living conditions in the refugee camp

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 distressful Carrying debt can be incredibly distressful, especially with sky-high prices for food, gas and housing. — Mallika Mitra, Sacbee.com, 24 Aug. 2026 And yet behind the distressful scene, a young man continues to butcher an animal. — Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024 Despite the distressful news of Houston’s death that day, the event went forward to create a space for guests to mourn. — Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for distressful

Adjective

Sam Altman is leading OpenAI through perhaps the most consequential—and uneasy—moment in artificial intelligence yet.

— Fortune Editors, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026
In a desperate race against time, Rosalind and Sean are forced into an uneasy alliance, fighting to save her husband and expose a global trafficking empire that eliminates anyone who tries to stop it.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of uneasy

Adjective

This season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City starts off on an incredibly somber note, given the tragic passing of Mary Crosby’s son, Robert Jr.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
That is not to excuse the recklessness behind the wheel which could feasibly have led to a more serious, potentially tragic incident on the M25 and M3 motorways.

— Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of tragic

Adjective

More than a month after Perez Hilton appeared in a disturbing livestream appearing to engage in acts of self-harm at this Miami-area home, his family is addressing the rumor mill.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026
As tensions rise and boundaries begin to blur, their grandmother’s frail presence takes on an increasingly disturbing quality, turning a once-idyllic summer into a haunting passage into adulthood.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of disturbing

Adjective

That is the unfortunate part of a tenure full of expansion, media-rights billions and two transformational collective bargaining agreements.

— Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Moore and his allies are presenting gerrymandering as an unfortunate response to an acute political crisis, but trying to gerrymander Maryland in favor of Democrats is far from a new effort.

— Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of unfortunate

Adjective

Ties between Kosovo and Serbia remain tense, despite years of negotiations mediated by the European Union and supported by the United States.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026
This also enabled Laporta to improve his previously tense relationship with UEFA and its president, Aleksander Ceferin.

— Pol Ballús, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of tense

Adjective

That feels very much in tune with the anxious characters Eisenberg has played over the course of his acting career, but this whole directing thing is working out nicely for him, too.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
Nelson remembers hushing her foster children back to sleep that night and calling 911, anxious for an end to those sleepless nights.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of anxious

Adjective

The tiny farming settlement of Poilley, in Brittany, would become her home for the next eight years, and the subject of more than 50,000 intimate, often unsettling photographs.

— Felix Bazalgette, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
And an overture from an ABC exec (Jessica Hecht) to Andie to jump ship represents another kind of unsettling grooming.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of unsettling

Adjective

One grandmother initially didn’t understand what the couple was asking, while two were a little nervous about taking on a role traditionally given to children.

— Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
But one area that has Chiefs fans a little nervous is the offensive line that will be tasked with keeping Mahomes upright.

— Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of nervous

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“Distressful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressful. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of distressful

adjective

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