distraught
Americanadjective
-
distracted; deeply agitated.
-
mentally deranged; crazed.
adjective
-
distracted or agitated
-
rare mad
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of distraught
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English variant of obsolete distract “distracted,” by association with straught, old past participle of stretch; see distract
Explanation
If you are upset, you are distraught. If you don't want to explain why you are pulling your hair out, just utter "Leave me alone; I'm distraught." It'll work. While distraught may sound like an old Germanic past participle, it is actually an alteration of distract from the Latin distrahere "to draw in different directions." If you are distraught, you are so upset that it's hard to think straight, hence your mind is "drawn in different directions."
Vocabulary lists containing distraught
The Great Gatsby
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A distraught mother, Leila Matura, 52, said her 18-year-old daughter was still missing.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
To save money, she agreed to move her portfolio elsewhere, but she was genuinely distraught over the loss of what she believed was a friendship with the financial planner.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
Have you thought about how you’ll console distraught fans once they’ve seen Episode 7?
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
On the night of the fall, Herring's mother made a distraught 999 call to summon emergency services.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
Mine is the last number they call today, the team so clearly distraught at the lack of special skills displayed before them, they’re just going to chuck our whole group.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
