distress

American  

[dih-stres] / dɪˈstrɛs /

noun

1. 

   great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble.

   distress over his mother's illness.

   Synonyms:

   tribulation, adversity, anguish, agony

   Antonyms:

   comfort

2. a state of extreme necessity or misfortune.

   After the stock market crash, he found himself in great financial distress.

   Synonyms:

   destitution, need

3. the state of a ship or airplane requiring immediate assistance, as when on fire in transit.

4. that which causes pain, suffering, trouble, danger, etc..

   His willful disobedience was a distress to his parents.

5. liability or exposure to pain, suffering, trouble, etc.; danger.

   a damsel in distress.

6. Law.

   1. the legal seizure and detention of the goods of another as security or satisfaction for debt, etc.; the act of distraining.

   2. the thing seized in distraining.

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adjective

1. afflicted with or suffering distress.

   distress livestock; distress wheat.

2. caused by or indicative of distress or hardship.

   distress prices; distress borrowing.

verb (used with object)

• distresses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• distressed,
  past participle,  past
• distressing
  present participle

1. to afflict with great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; trouble; worry; bother.

   It distresses Grandpa when you bring up the war.

2. to subject to pressure, stress, or strain; embarrass or exhaust by strain.

   to be distressed by excessive work.

3. to compel by pain or force of circumstances.

   Her faithlessness distressed him into ending their marriage.

4. to dent, scratch, or stain (furniture, lumber, or the like) so as to give an appearance of age.

   She used an old bicycle chain to distress the surface of the table before applying a deep stain.

distress British  

/ dɪˈstrɛs /

verb

1. to cause mental pain to; upset badly

2. (usually passive) to subject to financial or other trouble

3. to damage (esp furniture), as by scratching or denting it, in order to make it appear older than it is

4. law a less common word for distrain

5. archaic to compel

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noun

1. mental pain; anguish

2. the act of distressing or the state of being distressed

3. physical or financial trouble

4. (of a ship, aircraft, etc) in dire need of help

5. law

   1. the seizure and holding of property as security for payment of or in satisfaction of a debt, claim, etc; distraint

   2. the property thus seized

   3. ( as modifier )

      distress merchandise

Synonym Usage

See sorrow.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• distressfulness
  noun
• predistress
  noun
• distressful
  adjective
• distressing
  adjective
• distressfully
  adverb
• distressingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• distressing
  present
• distressed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• distress
  simple
• distresses
  simple
• have distressed
  perfect
• has distressed
  perfect
• am distressing
  progressive
• are distressing
  progressive
• is distressing
  progressive
• have been distressing
  perfect progressive
• has been distressing
  perfect progressive

Past

• distressed
  simple
• had distressed
  perfect
• was distressing
  progressive
• were distressing
  progressive
• had been distressing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will distress
  simple
• will have distressed
  perfect
• will be distressing
  progressive
• will have been distressing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of distress

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun destresse, distresse, from Anglo-French distresse, destresse, Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin districtia, equivalent to Latin district(us) “exercise of justice” + noun suffix -ia; the verb developed from the noun; see origin at district, -ia

Explanation

If you are in distress, you are in trouble. You're hurting — either physically or mentally. See the word stress hanging out at the end of distress? There's a good reason for that. The noun distress refers to a state of severe anxiety or strain, often brought about by failing to study for an exam, harassing grizzly bears, or borrowing your sister's clothes without asking. When used as a verb, to distress means to cause all that pain, suffering and anxiety — in other words, to stress somebody out.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

distress distresses distressed distressing

There are pockets of distress in the market, especially in the Sunbelt where there is too much supply and the pandemic rally left home values out of sync with local incomes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

The senior IMF official added that "many" low-income countries were in debt distress, or close to it, and that they should seek debt restructuring if they were not able to address the issue.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Sensitivity to noise, touch and emotional distress can set off muscle spasms, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper added: "Professor Fonagy's review has shown the importance of early intervention to address mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions and the huge distress these can cause."

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

I expected she would show signs of great distress and shame; but to my surprise she neither wept nor blushed: composed, though grave, she stood, the central mark of all eyes.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Sleeping out in the stifling summer heat leaves her exhausted, but what distresses her more is not knowing when or how this situation will end.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

“It distresses us to return work which is not perfect,” the note read.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2024

The backbencher's bill will introduce harsher sentences for someone who deliberately harasses, alarms, or distresses someone in a public place, and increasing the maximum sentences from six months to two years.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2022

“As they help lead us out of our long bout with the pandemic they will provide balm for our distresses and delight for our hearts.”

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 3, 2022

“The coroner,” he wrote Margaret three days after the collapse, “is a disagreeable little doctor, a political hack, without brains, who distresses me.”

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Connor Thompson told the BBC's US partner CBS News that he was in line for the ride when everyone started "yelling, clearly distressed".

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

However, the share of distressed selling is still tiny.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

George, a 37-year-old French entrepreneur, started out investing in distressed real-estate properties before pivoting to data centers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

The drummer said she was distressed by the paucity of water stations available, and feared the triple-digit heat was a risk for fans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

They both wore tightly wrapped robes and the groggy, distressed expressions of adults who hadn’t expected to be awakened.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Rumination refers to repeatedly dwelling on distressing thoughts, worries, or negative experiences.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026

A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said it was a "distressing case" and they had implemented changes as a result.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Clancy's trial, which featured more than 80 witnesses and days of distressing testimony, sparked debate in the United States over maternal mental health.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

And in the opening line of his latest book—his 54th—he makes a distressing revelation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

It was an unusual feeling for Reynie, and very distressing.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart