as in drearily
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 distressingly
More distressingly, their 11 losses last season didn’t just mark the head coach’s first losing season since his tenure in Kansas City began in 2013.
—
Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2026
The pipeline of new antibiotics remains distressingly thin, and most drugs currently in development are structurally similar to existing antibiotics, potentially limiting their effectiveness.
—André O. Hudson, The Conversation, 21 Jan. 2026
That can be forgiven thanks to the film’s evocative imagery and the emotional resonance of its central themes, distressingly familiar to anyone who has ever lost themselves in a relationship.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
The running game is a mess, Carson Wentz is often running for his life, and the defense proved distressingly vulnerable to big plays in last weekend’s 28-22 loss to Philadelphia.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Advertisement Opioid addiction is distressingly common in nearly every contact and combat sport, but Kerr was isolated from the endemic abuse of painkillers in the industry.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Naturally, the theft of the ghost shirt by the stooges in the employ of Roy Lee is accompanied by many deceased bodies — the first of the many bloodbaths in Americana, which has a distressingly expedient approach to on-screen carnage.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
Second, the book helps dispel conspiracy theories, now distressingly common among Iranians, that propose that the shah’s overthrow was secretly planned and carefully orchestrated by President Jimmy Carter.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2026
The pipeline of new antibiotics remains distressingly thin, and most drugs currently in development are structurally similar to existing antibiotics, potentially limiting their effectiveness.
—André O. Hudson, The Conversation, 21 Jan. 2026
That can be forgiven thanks to the film’s evocative imagery and the emotional resonance of its central themes, distressingly familiar to anyone who has ever lost themselves in a relationship.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
The running game is a mess, Carson Wentz is often running for his life, and the defense proved distressingly vulnerable to big plays in last weekend’s 28-22 loss to Philadelphia.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Advertisement Opioid addiction is distressingly common in nearly every contact and combat sport, but Kerr was isolated from the endemic abuse of painkillers in the industry.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Naturally, the theft of the ghost shirt by the stooges in the employ of Roy Lee is accompanied by many deceased bodies — the first of the many bloodbaths in Americana, which has a distressingly expedient approach to on-screen carnage.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
Second, the book helps dispel conspiracy theories, now distressingly common among Iranians, that propose that the shah’s overthrow was secretly planned and carefully orchestrated by President Jimmy Carter.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distressingly
Adverb
-
The Sierra Nevada mountains were replenished after seeing a dismally low snowpack to start the year, and snow even temporarily closed Yosemite National Park.—
Terry Castleman,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
In this regard, ICE and the federal government have failed dismally.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Her strategy failed miserably as lawmakers refused to give in to her demands.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
21 Feb. 2026
-
These athletes run dozens of miles, generally in the heat, at altitude, or in bad weather, up and down mountains, all while attempting, sometimes miserably, to eat and drink enough to keep going.—
Dan England,
Outside,
5 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The darkly comic crime drama pits Frances McDormand's righteously furious mom against a police force that hasn't caught her daughter's killer.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The darkly comedic drama confronts reality, privacy, and the delusions fueling our ever-changing world.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
3 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
What at first appears to be a run-of-the-mill trauma drama about a family dealing with the eldest child’s anorexia nervosa gradually evolves into something odder and more original, even blackly comic, in Ungrateful Beings.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
One of the most affecting shots shows McCartney glancing forlornly at a seat beside him at the mixing desk.—
Jordan Runtagh,
PEOPLE,
27 Nov. 2025
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
Adverb
-
For example, professors Morana Koludrovic and Franceska Delija at the University of Split in Croatia also make the point, more pessimistically, however, that the young can no longer learn from the old, not with all the changes in technology and media.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Look pessimistically, and perhaps the inexperience is too much of a barrier.—
Jake Ciely,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Like a fisherman left empty-handed after a heavy pull at her line, the woman sullenly took Sam’s picture.—
Nora DeLigter,
Curbed,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, Republican staffers sullenly reported to messaging meetings to talk about immigration.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Distressingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressingly. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
