1
as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety
distressing signs that another war might be imminent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
the distressing death of our favorite actor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
the distressing habit of constantly fiddling with her hair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in alarming
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
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 distressing
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
Using a silhouette reminiscent of the iconic 1920s Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star, the Maison Margiela Loved to Death sneakers dial up the distressing with visible seams, raw edges and distressed rubber soles, but that’s only the beginning.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
Six-year-old Jin-seung (Moon Woo-bin) is having trouble fitting in with his adoptive parents (Shim Hye-jin and Kim Jin-geun) — a state of affairs that grows more distressing with the birth of a new baby.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Adult death is always strangely humiliating but this was something more, conceptually distressing, theoretically immoderate, elaborately unkind.
—Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Justice Seekers are transforming fashion into armor through aggressive details like heavy distressing, slashes, spikes and harsh dye treatment.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 21 Oct. 2025
What to Do If Your Dog Goes Missing While Uma’s story ended with more laughs than tears, many missing dog incidents can take a far more distressing turn.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Zettel's murder comes years after a restraining order against her daughter expired and several distressing incidents involving Lauren Spors were reported to authorities in the last decade.
—David Clarey, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Angel Down is very readable and very distressing.
—Neil McRobert, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
In mystery thriller Hallow Road directed by Babak Anvari and William Gillies and written by Gillies, parents receive a distressing late-night call from their teenage daughter, who has just accidentally hit a pedestrian.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
Using a silhouette reminiscent of the iconic 1920s Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star, the Maison Margiela Loved to Death sneakers dial up the distressing with visible seams, raw edges and distressed rubber soles, but that’s only the beginning.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
Six-year-old Jin-seung (Moon Woo-bin) is having trouble fitting in with his adoptive parents (Shim Hye-jin and Kim Jin-geun) — a state of affairs that grows more distressing with the birth of a new baby.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Adult death is always strangely humiliating but this was something more, conceptually distressing, theoretically immoderate, elaborately unkind.
—Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Justice Seekers are transforming fashion into armor through aggressive details like heavy distressing, slashes, spikes and harsh dye treatment.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 21 Oct. 2025
What to Do If Your Dog Goes Missing While Uma’s story ended with more laughs than tears, many missing dog incidents can take a far more distressing turn.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Zettel's murder comes years after a restraining order against her daughter expired and several distressing incidents involving Lauren Spors were reported to authorities in the last decade.
—David Clarey, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Angel Down is very readable and very distressing.
—Neil McRobert, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distressing
Adjective
-
Despite already having declared her candidacy, McKnight voiced disturbing and violent threats against Sheehy.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
-
This story contains a description of a shooting some readers may find disturbing.—
Omar Jimenez,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
In his first interview since the tragic events in May, Cacique, a Spanish nickname given to a local boss, said the turncoats hoped to receive a reward for the capture of Robert Colina, whose alias was Pantera, Spanish for panther.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott joined the rest of his teammates in having a tough day Thursday after learning of the tragic death of defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland, who took his own life at the end of a police chase in Frisco.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Rather than offering peace of mind from pest invasion, the chemical control process often leaves families feeling uneasy about what has been introduced so indiscriminately into their environment.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Cuomo led early polls, buoyed by name recognition and a coalition of moderate Democrats uneasy with the party’s leftward drift.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This isn’t in itself alarming in the moment, though such a narrow market often works against the duration of an advance.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
29 Oct. 2025
-
In a city home to the world’s largest Jewish population outside Israel, Mamdani’s message has struck sharply different chords, galvanizing left-leaning activists while alarming many Jewish voters who view his words as inflammatory.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Compared to the swooning Gothic romance of Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula, Kenneth Branagh’s Frankenstein is just too perverse — in an unsettling way.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
-
At the same time, the detective assigned to the case begins to uncover secrets about Scout, along with an unsettling breakthrough in Georgia’s death.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Thus a wonderful section on The Jew of Malta climaxes in an unfortunate vision of the text as a secret message to Lord Strange, a wealthy and important patron of the arts.—
Isaac Butler,
The Atlantic,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Such an event, let alone two within less than an hour of each other, is both unfortunate and potentially very suspicious.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The self-laceration is done on Damon Albarn Time, though, as Idles’ usual anxious guitar rave-ups are slowed and stripped here to a skipping, reggae-ish crawl, as synths squeak in the background and Albarn offers support via his forever-distant, disembodied backing vocals.—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Obviously, Meghan’s anxious about it.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Karbler notes that Bigelow resisted that depiction for fear of distracting from the emotional moment.—
Jake Kring-Schreifels,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Surprisingly, the injury helped him in this regard by distracting him from overanalyzing his game.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressing. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share