distressfully

adverb

as in sullenly

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for distressfully
  1. sullenly
  2. miserably
  3. dismally
  4. joylessly
  5. forlornly
  6. glumly
  7. gloomily
  8. darkly
Adverb
  • The mother laughed, which made the girl slouched sullenly on her Icelandic glance back, and her mother brushed a hand over her face.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Take, for example, Keanu Reeves, who was memeified after a photo of the actor sullenly eating a sandwich went viral.
    — Ben Pettis, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
Definition of sullenly
Adverb
  • After Carlson officially flamed out, Brayden Narveson failed miserably.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • That day helped solidify my decision to keep pushing forward after failing so miserably.
    — Kristine Fischer, Outdoor Life, 16 July 2026
Definition of miserably
Adverb
  • But for now, the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer remains at a dismally low 13%, according to the American Cancer Society.
    — Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 12 May 2026
  • The assets performed dismally in March but rebounded in April.
    — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 8 May 2026
Definition of dismally
Adverb
  • Then there is the steady stream of profiles on tech billionaires joylessly devoting themselves to maximizing their lifespan.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
Definition of joylessly
Adverb
  • The shattered standing forlornly by the podium at the end of a draining tournament, hearts broken, bodies exhausted, having to watch as the opposition receive the reward that England were agonisingly close to.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • Adaptations of the Odyssey are always fleshy affairs, with half-naked men lying happily or forlornly on beaches.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
Definition of forlornly
Adverb
  • If exceeding delivery targets fails to spark a rally, meeting or slightly beating bottom-line earnings will likely be greeted glumly by Wall Street.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 20 July 2026
  • Three of the four arrived soberly dressed, one of them, Hodgkin, in a black suit, folded his arms and stared glumly ahead.
    — Robin Muir, Vogue, 12 June 2026
Definition of glumly
Adverb
  • Museums abhor windows, so the building has all the approachability of a medieval keep, as gloomily defensive as the park is welcoming.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 4 June 2026
  • In Time Regained, the concluding volume of Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, an older version of the narrator gloomily decides to attend a gathering at the Guermantes’ mansion.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of gloomily
Adverb
  • The Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze is played as a glowering, skeptical presence by a darkly handsome English actor.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Angels is relentless, melodic, and aggressive—Pocket Pet and Achilles are standouts—a darkly feverish run of glitchy and tense soundscapes.
    — Vogue, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of darkly
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.

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distressful
distressfully
distressing
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Cite this Entry

“Distressfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressfully. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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