distressful

[ dih-stres-fuh l ]
/ dɪˈstrɛs fəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR distressful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

causing or involving distress: the distressful circumstances of poverty and sickness.
full of, feeling, or indicating distress: a distressful cry.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of distressful

First recorded in 1585–95; distress + -ful

OTHER WORDS FROM distressful

dis·tress·ful·ly, adverbdis·tress·ful·ness, noun

Words nearby distressful

distress merchandise, distress sale, distress signal, distressed, distressed area, distressful, distributary, distribute, distributed, distributed array processor, distributed data processing
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to distressful

anxious, disquieting, disruptive, distressing, nervous, perturbing, troublesome, unsettling, upsetting, worrisome, worrying

Example sentences from the Web for distressful