as in drearily
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Recent Examples of distressingly
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
Reports of politically motivated violence are distressingly common – ranging from mass shootings, car-ramming attacks and assaults at demonstrations to assassination attempts, kidnappings and threats targeting mayors, governors, political activists and members of Congress.
—Justin Pickett, The Conversation, 17 Nov. 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
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
Reports of politically motivated violence are distressingly common – ranging from mass shootings, car-ramming attacks and assaults at demonstrations to assassination attempts, kidnappings and threats targeting mayors, governors, political activists and members of Congress.
—Justin Pickett, The Conversation, 17 Nov. 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
-
Biden polled miserably on the economy, too.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The jeers continued after the play itself failed miserably.—
Matt Schneidman,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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Over the course of the season, Tommy and his father slowly tighten their bond, a process punctuated with darkly comic lines that both puncture and reflect Thornton’s and Elliott’s undeniable chemistry and gravitas.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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Known for his spare, unforgiving style and darkly comic fatalistic sensibility, along with his penchant for leather jackets, lots of smoking and a deadpan sense of humor, Tarr was a quintessential arthouse filmmaker.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 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
-
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
-
Look pessimistically, and perhaps the inexperience is too much of a barrier.—
Jake Ciely,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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Instead, Republican staffers sullenly reported to messaging meetings to talk about immigration.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
O’Farrell’s words skip lightly on some pages, then pace with anxiety, then finally trudge along despairingly.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
31 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the conservative nonprofit American Action Forum, has watched glumly as Republicans have drifted away from their small-government traditions.—
David M. Drucker,
Twin Cities,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distressingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressingly. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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