Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Deeply agitated, as from worry or grief.
  • adjective Archaic Mentally deranged.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Drawn apart; separated.
  • Distracted; bewildered; perplexed; being in or manifesting a state of distraction.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • past participle obsolete Torn asunder; separated.
  • past participle Distracted; perplexed.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Deeply hurt, saddened, or worried; distressed.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective deeply agitated especially from emotion

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, alteration of distract, past participle of distracten, to distract; see distract.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, merger of distract ("distracted") and straught ("distraught"), past participle of strecchen ("to stretch"). Compare also bestraught, extraught, forstraught, etc. More at distract, stretch.

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Examples

  • (CROSSTALK) GERAGOS: She sounded exactly as distraught, which is either goes to her innocence or goes to the fact that you really can't rely on that kind of evidence.

    CNN Transcript Nov 19, 2009 2009

  • She was staring at me, and her expression was distraught.

    Thin Air Rachel Caine 2007

  • She is a leedle vat you would call distraught, not mat, but ankrished.

    Despair's Last Journey David Christie Murray

  • Do you recall the distraught lady in _Ruddigore_, who was always charmed into silence by the mystic word "Basingstoke"?

    Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 152, April 4, 1917 Various

  • It was the final call the distraught father received from the captors.

    post-gazette.com - News 2010

  • The man was described as distraught when he called police at 1: 48 p.m. and made the threatening statement, Schlect said.

    JSOnline.com 2010

  • A harrowing 999 call the distraught mother made after finding the children 'stone cold' the next morning was played to the jury.

    Manchester Evening News - RSS Feed 2010

  • Hatton 'distraught' after newspaper allegationsLONDON - A spokesman for Ricky Hatton says the boxer is "distraught" after a newspaper published a photo that it says shows him snorting cocaine.

    Gaea Times (by Simple Thoughts) Breaking News and incisive views 24/7 2010

  • A harrowing 999 call the distraught mother made after finding the children 'stone cold' the next morning was played to the jury.

    Manchester Evening News - RSS Feed 2010

  • A harrowing 999 call the distraught mother made after finding the children 'stone cold' the next morning was played to the jury.

    Manchester Evening News - RSS Feed 2010

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