Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Very painful or afflicting: as, a distressing sickness.

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

  • adjective Causing distress; painful; unpleasant.
  • adverb In a distressing manner.

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

  • adjective Causing distress; upsetting
  • verb Present participle of distress.

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

  • adjective causing distress or worry or anxiety
  • adjective bad; unfortunate

Etymologies

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Examples

  • I think he should get on The Incredibles 2 and stop wasting his time with something that people won't watch. zamarov i thought of use of the word distressing was a bit strong do people get distressed about this? wonka bar

    What Happened to Brad Bird’s 1906? | /Film 2010

  • I have what I want, they have money in their pocket for what they need (in this case formula for their baby — how distressing is that).

    Gore and Obama to Discuss Climate Change - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com 2008

  • One of the most distressing is its deeply cynical attitude about law.

    Balkinization 2006

  • What makes this news particularly distressing is that Albion's great rivals W***** W********, who copied our use of the song, will continue to play it.

    Archive 2004-01-11 Laban 2004

  • The most distressing is how there will be no other end of the telephone with me on it for anyone until a few months after training and I am settled into a house with (hopefully, but highly unlikely) a phone.

    Wanderlustress: 2003

  • The most distressing is how there will be no other end of the telephone with me on it for anyone until a few months after training and I am settled into a house with (hopefully, but highly unlikely) a phone.

    3 Weeks 'Til Uzbekistan!!! 2003

  • The infamous sex tapes, taste in men he describes as distressing and he also cites her dissing of the Arkansas couple kind enough to host her on some "Simple Life" jaunt while Grove swears she's gone from his pages for good, he did leave a light on in the window just in case.

    CNN Transcript Dec 23, 2004 2004

  • For the larger and wilder the outpouring of new units of speculation, the more acute and distressing is the consequent panic.

    Whirlwinds of Speculation 1969

  • For the larger and wilder the outpouring of new units of speculation, the more acute and distressing is the consequent panic.

    Whirlwinds of Speculation 1931

  • It is one of the uses of poetry – one says it to oneself in distressing circumstances of that kind, or when one has to wait at railway stations, or when one cannot get to sleep at night.

    The House of Arden Edith 1923

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