as in drearily
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Recent Examples of distressingly
The basic themes of Hearst’s life and the novels that dramatize it remain distressingly relevant.
—
Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
Epidemics such as these are distressingly common.
—Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 11 May 2026
Most distressingly to protesters, there is no way to request the DNA samples’ destruction, and the process to get DNA profiles expunged from the database comes with extra costs and could take as long as five years.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 7 May 2026
In many ways, Donovan’s story is distressingly familiar.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 7 Apr. 2026
In essence, Bright Lights, Big City, instead of being emotionally provoking and riveting, is distressingly gray and tedious, enlivened only by Fox’s gifted histrionics.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026
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
Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
Epidemics such as these are distressingly common.
—Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 11 May 2026
Most distressingly to protesters, there is no way to request the DNA samples’ destruction, and the process to get DNA profiles expunged from the database comes with extra costs and could take as long as five years.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 7 May 2026
In many ways, Donovan’s story is distressingly familiar.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 7 Apr. 2026
In essence, Bright Lights, Big City, instead of being emotionally provoking and riveting, is distressingly gray and tedious, enlivened only by Fox’s gifted histrionics.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distressingly
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
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The assets performed dismally in March but rebounded in April.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
Adverb
-
Otherwise, every one of the top draft picks Elias took from 2019-2022 – third baseman Gunnar Henderson, outfielder Colton Cowser, infielder Jackson Holliday, outfielder Heston Kjerstad and second baseman Jordan Westburg — has either underachieved or failed miserably.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2026
-
One was to pressure Iran to fully open the strait and free 1,600 commercial ships stuck in the Persian Gulf, which failed miserably.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
11 May 2026
Adverb
-
The project seeks a Spanish co-production anchor for a darkly comic story about loneliness, manipulation and the need to matter.—
Emiliano de Pablos,
Variety,
25 May 2026
-
Their hair was held back in a low bun and coiled in exactly the same way, and their blue eyes were darkly lined, that intensity counteracted with their matching rosy lip look.—
Séraphine Roger,
Vanity Fair,
23 May 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
-
War of the Worlds star Ice Cube now has another reason to stare forlornly at his computer.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
-
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
-
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
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
-
The Vietnam War and Watergate had spawned a paralyzing sense of national distrust, and New Hollywood had reflected that reality beautifully but pessimistically.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
23 May 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Distressingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressingly. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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