distressnoun [ U ]
uk/dɪˈstres/us/dɪˈstres/C1 a feeling of extreme worry, sadness, or pain:
She claimed that the way she had been treated at work had caused her extreme emotional and psychological distress.
Many of the horses were showing signs of distress at the end of the race.
C2 a situation in which you are suffering or are in great danger and therefore in urgent need of help:
Six people were rescued by helicopter from a fishing boat in distress off the coast.
a distress signal
More examples
- He seems to be quite unaware of other people's distress.
- It was terrible for her to see her child in such distress.
- Terry is always willing to help out a lady in distress!
- The animal was clearly in distress, so we called the vet immediately.
- The old lady's distress at the news could have brought on a heart attack.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Sadness and regret
- a heavy heart idiom
- be/weigh on your conscience idiom
- bitter
- bring a lump to/have a lump in your throat idiom
- broken-hearted
- gloom
- gloomy
- guilt complex
- guilt trip
- guilt-ridden
- guilt trip
- heartache
- lament
- melancholy
- mourn
- rue the day idiom
- rueful
- sackcloth
- sad
- sadly
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distressverb [ T ]
uk/dɪˈstres/us/dɪˈstres/to make someone feel very upset or worried:
I hope I haven't distressed you with all these personal questions.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Making people sad, shocked and upset
- aback
- amiss
- appal
- be laughing on the other side of your face idiom
- bite
- burn
- hit/touch a (raw) nerve idiom
- horrify
- hurt sb's feelings idiom
- hurtful
- it'll (all) end in tears idiom
- laugh
- mess
- nose
- shake
- tear sb apart
- tear sb's heart out idiom
- torture
- traumatize
- twist/turn the knife (in the wound) idiom
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