distressed

UK: /dɪˈstrɛst/ US: (di strest′)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dis•tressed  (di strest′), adj. 

1. affected with or suffering from distress.
2. Business (of merchandise or property for sale) damaged, out-of-date, or used.
3. Business (of real estate) foreclosed and offered for sale.
4. Furniture (of furniture) purposely blemished or marred so as to give an antique appearance.
5. Clothing, Textiles (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.

• 1580–90; distress + -ed²

dis•tress•ed•ly  (di stres′id lē, -strest′lē), adv.  dis•tress′ed•ness, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

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. another word for depressed5

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

dis•tress /dɪˈstrɛs/   n. [uncountable]

1. sharp or strong anxiety, pain, or sorrow:
   obvious signs of distress showing up during the crisis.
2. a state of extreme necessity, trouble, or misfortune:
   a time of poverty and distress.
3. the state of a ship or airplane requiring immediate help, such as when on fire:
   The aircraft radioed it was in distress.

v. 

4. to afflict with pain, anxiety, or sorrow:[~ + object]
   The tragic news distressed us all.
   [it + ~ + object + to + verb]
   It distressed me to hear about the violence in the schools.
   [~ + object + that clause]
   It distressed me that there was so much violence in the schools.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dis•tress  (di stres′), n. 

1. Pathology, Psychiatry great pain, anxiety, or sorrow;
   acute physical or mental suffering;
   affliction;
   trouble.
2. a state of extreme necessity or misfortune.
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.
5. liability or exposure to pain, suffering, trouble, etc.;
   danger:
   a damsel in distress.
6. Law
   • Law the legal seizure and detention of the goods of another as security or satisfaction for debt, etc.;
     the act of distraining.
   • the thing seized in distraining.
7. to dent, scratch, or stain (furniture, lumber, or the like) so as to give an appearance of age.

adj. 

8. afflicted with or suffering distress:
   distress livestock; distress wheat.
9. caused by or indicative of distress or hardship:
   distress prices; distress borrowing.

v.t. 

10. to afflict with great pain, anxiety, or sorrow;
    trouble;
    worry;
    bother.
11. to subject to pressure, stress, or strain;
    embarrass or exhaust by strain:
    to be distressed by excessive work.
12. to compel by pain or force of circumstances:
    His suffering distressed him into committing suicide.

• Anglo-French destresser (Old French destrecier), derivative of the noun, nominal
• Vulgar Latin *districtia, equivalent. to Latin district(us) (see district) + -ia -y³; (verb, verbal) Middle English destressen
• Anglo-French distresse, destresse, Old French
• (noun, nominal) Middle English destresse 1250–1300

dis•tress′ing•ly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 1. agony, anguish, adversity, tribulation. See sorrow. 
• 2. need, destitution.

Antonyms

• 1. comfort.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

distress / dɪˈstrɛs/ verb (transitive)

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. a less common word for distrain

noun

1. mental pain; anguish
2. the act of distressing or the state of being distressed
3. physical or financial trouble
4. in distress ⇒ (of a ship, aircraft, etc) in dire need of help
5. the seizure and holding of property as security for payment of or in satisfaction of a debt, claim, etc; distraint
6. the property thus seized
7. (as modifier): distress merchandise

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French destresse distress, via Vulgar Latin, from Latin districtus divided in mind; see distrain

disˈtressful adjective

disˈtressing adjective , noun

disˈtressingly adverb