distressed

[ dih-strest ]

adjective

1. affected with or suffering from distress.
2. (of merchandise or property for sale) damaged, out-of-date, or used.
3. (of real estate) foreclosed and offered for sale.
4. (of furniture) purposely blemished or marred so as to give an antique appearance.
5. (of fabric) made or processed to appear faded or wrinkled, as if from long, steady use:

   Our best-selling jeans are the ones in distressed denim.

distressed

/ dɪˈstrɛst /

adjective

1. much troubled; upset; afflicted
2. in financial straits; poor
3. (of furniture, fabric, etc) having signs of ageing artificially applied
4. See depressed
   economics another word for depressed

Other Words From

• dis·tress·ed·ly [dih-, stres, -id-lee, -, strest, -lee], adverb
• dis·tressed·ness noun
• quasi-dis·tressed adjective
• undis·tressed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of distressed¹

First recorded in 1580–90; distress + -ed ²

Example Sentences

When I was young and relatives talked to my older brother and me about it, wanting to share who our father was and express their own sense of loss, I often felt confused and distressed.

From Washington Post

This client is distressed with all the changes in his work environment due to the coronavirus pandemic.

From Washington Post

When officers tried to “secure her,” Anderson said, the distressed girl ran away.

From Washington Post

Certain factors put some students at greater risk of feeling highly distressed.

From Science News

Rechnitz has said that some of the state’s inspection findings over the years came shortly after he purchased distressed facilities and before he had time to turn them around.

From Washington Post

Now the center was being used for “Ebola orphans” – lost children, shunned children, distressed children.

From The Daily Beast

But his recent Twitter feed, filled with dozens of angry and depressed rants, showed Fryberg was distressed.

From The Daily Beast

When told that the Gathering was back in her area, she was distressed.

From The Daily Beast

I thought, who do I want to know the most about, distressed or violent or crazy people?

From The Daily Beast

Yet they were also distressed and filled with envy over the slightest inequalities that remained.

From The Daily Beast

He became irritable, distressed, and anxious—struggled hard to get the needful sum together, struggled and strove; but failed.

From Project Gutenberg

The visitors, seeing how distressed the General was, by tacit consent avoided the subject, but everyone felt the dampening effect.

From Project Gutenberg

Before the distressed landlord could utter a word, the stranger had wheeled about again to face Garnache.

From Project Gutenberg

Gilbert's place was vacant, and the fear that had distressed her so much on the previous night returned with redoubled force.

From Project Gutenberg

That the p. 119occurrence could have happened during his management distressed him greatly I know.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• afflicted
• agitated
• anxious
• distraught
• jittery
• miffed
• perturbed
• shaky
• troubled