Synonyms of distressing

distressing 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in disturbing

causing worry or anxiety

distressing signs that another war might be imminent

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disturbing
• unsettling
• troubling
• frightening
• upsetting
• troublesome
• scary
• nasty
• disquieting
• discomforting
• worrisome
• shocking
• perturbing
• nagging
• horrible
• terrible
• terrifying
• troublous
• discouraging
• disconcerting
• dire
• discomposing
• disheartening
• demoralizing
• dismaying
• alarming
• dispiriting
• daunting
• dreadful
• chilling
• dread
• discomfiting
• direful
• fearful
• horrifying
• forbidding
• ghastly
• frightful
• formidable
• persecutory
• horrendous
• intimidating
• harassing
• fearsome
• persecutive
• hair-raising

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reassuring
• settling
• soothing
• calming
• comforting
• narcotic
• relaxing
• dreamy
• sedative
• inviting
• tranquilizing
• quieting
• consoling
• lulling
• pacifying

2

as in tragic

of a kind to cause great distress

the distressing death of our favorite actor

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tragic
• unfortunate
• terrible
• disturbing
• shocking
• deplorable
• regrettable
• horrible
• painful
• distressful
• lamentable
• unsettling
• grievous
• sickening
• heartbreaking
• sad
• dire
• woeful
• unlucky
• awful
• troublesome
• heartrending
• disastrous
• severe
• alarming
• fearful
• dreadful
• traumatic
• miserable
• unbearable
• pitiful
• vexatious
• overwhelming
• crushing
• horrifying
• moving
• touching
• poignant
• affecting
• wretched
• piteous
• doleful
• intolerable
• harrowing
• excruciating
• perturbing
• calamitous
• ruthful
• sharp
• raging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rewarding
• gratifying
• satisfying
• pleasing
• comforting
• encouraging
• heartening
• inspiring
• happy
• fortunate
• lucky
• heartwarming
• cheering

3

as in uneasy

marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings

the distressing habit of constantly fiddling with her hair

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disturbing
• uneasy
• unsettling
• anxious
• tense
• distressful
• nervous
• restless
• unnerving
• disquieting
• creepy
• worrisome
• fraught
• agitating
• embarrassing
• hairy
• nerve-racking
• troublesome
• nail-biting
• bothersome
• discouraging
• strained
• disheartening
• awkward
• foreboding
• misgiving
• restive
• unrestful

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• comfortable
• peaceful
• quiet
• tranquil
• calming
• restful
• quieting
• pacific

distressing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of distress

as in alarming

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy

don't let all the bad news distress you

Synonyms & Similar Words

• alarming
• disturbing
• distracting
• worrying
• bothering
• concerning
• unsettling
• upsetting
• angering
• haunting
• discomforting
• agitating
• disquieting
• dismaying
• plaguing
• annoying
• irritating
• perturbing
• ailing
• confusing
• undoing
• unhinging
• derailing
• embarrassing
• exercising
• aggravating
• rattling
• exasperating
• fussing
• freaking (out)
• discomposing
• distempering
• bugging
• frazzling
• discouraging
• hagriding
• harassing
• flurrying
• disconcerting
• vexing
• weirding out
• galling
• irking
• pestering
• nettling
• mortifying
• chafing
• fretting
• harrying
• jarring
• riling
• disheartening
• grating
• discomfiting
• bedeviling
• unnerving
• confounding
• putting off
• dispiriting
• demoralizing
• getting
• putting out
• daunting
• flustering
• chivying
• piquing
• discountenancing
• peeving
• shaking up
• nonplussing
• abashing
• fazing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• soothing
• calming
• composing
• settling
• quieting
• alleviating
• allaying
• tranquilizing
• pacifying
• appeasing
• assuaging
• placating
• conciliating
• mollifying
• propitiating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of distressing

Adjective

Holmes’ jeans also took things to a more polished space thanks to the dark wash and subtle distressing similar to Quince’s subtle barrel style that can be easily dressed up with pumps, just like the actress. — Shea Simmons, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026

And then there’s the Ren Faire episode, where a McPoyle brothers’ cameo portends a closing joke so distressing my innocent little brain rejected all the warnings of its arrival. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026

Nowhere is this more true than at the world’s most prestigious performing arts festival, where Fringe comics often draw on dark subjects and distressing personal experiences. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 12 Aug. 2026

There’s also a distressing shot of a sleeping bag next to a pair of handcuffs. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026

While the overall picture held mostly steady from the 2024 maternity care desert report, the organization's leadership says the data remains distressing. — Kristin Wright, NPR, 11 Aug. 2026

Getty Images The reactions following celebrity blogger Perez Hilton’s distressing livestream and subsequent hospitalization have been varied across the board, and Jared Padalecki is the latest in the crossfire. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

His father, Richard, a plutocrat who offers him a job at his company, is equally distressing. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

There is much fun and frivolity at the Witch and Culture Festival, but the event also acknowledges some distressing real-life history that goes along with being (or being suspected of being) a witch in Connecticut. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026

Verb

Thieves have tried to break into Taylor Minatogawa’s business five times in the last two months, distressing him so much he’s spent at least a dozen nights inside his shop keeping guard. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026

Its mid-rise Harlow jeans are composed of a cotton and elastane blend, with a powder-blue hue and strategic hints of distressing down the leg. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025