distress 
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dis·tress (di stres′)
transitive verb
- to cause sorrow, misery, or suffering to; pain
- to cause discomfort to; trouble
- to exhaust or weaken with strain of any sort
- Archaic to constrain (to do something)
- Law to distrain
Etymology: ME distressen < OFr destrecier, orig., to constrain (to do something) < destrece, constraint < ML destrescia < L districtus, pp. of distringere: see distrain
noun
- the state of being distressed; pain, suffering, discomfort, etc.
- anything that distresses; affliction
- a state of danger or trouble; bad straits
- Law
- distraint
- the property distrained
Related Forms:
- distressing dis·tress′·ing adjective
- distressingly dis·tress′·ingly adverb
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Alternate definitions:
distress
n.
Mental agony
worry, anxiety, perplexity, misery, sorrow, wretchedness, pain, suffering, agony, anguish, dejection, irritation, vexation, ache, heartache, dolor, ordeal, desolation, mortification, affliction, discomfort, trouble, woe, torment, torture, shame, embarrassment, disappointment, tribulation, pang; see also anxiety, grief 1.Physical agony
Misfortune
straits, danger, trouble, adversity; see crisis, danger, difficulty 1, 2, disaster, poverty 1.
distress implies mental or physical strain imposed by pain, trouble, worry, or the like and usually suggests a state or situation that can be relieved distress caused by famine; suffering emphasizes the actual enduring of pain, distress, or tribulation the suffering of the wounded; agony suggests mental or physical torment so excruciating that the body or mind is convulsed with the force of it in mortal agony; anguish has equal force but is more often applied to acute mental suffering the anguish of despair
Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Preposition: as
- result: Our sympathy goes to all families and businesses who have suffered damage and distress as a result of the floods.
Converse of object
- levy: Leave of the court is required to levy distress against residential tenants.
Preposition: for
- rent: Enforcement District Judge Trent reported on the Sub-Committee's responses to the consultation papers on distress for rent and enforcement.
Adjective modifier
- fetal: Sadly, fetal distress still causes babies to die or develop permanent disabilities.
Modifies a noun
- syndrome: It is deficient in premature babies with the respiratory distress syndrome ).
The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.
O thou, the friend of man assigned, With balmy hands his wounds to bind, And charm his frantic woe: When first Distress with dagger keen Broke forth to waste his destined scene, His wild unsated foe!
So I lie, whose fount of pride, Dear distress, and joy allied, Is my somber flesh and skin, With the dark blood dammed within.
Il y a une espe' ce de honte d'e" tre heureux a' la vue de certaines mise' res. There is a type of shame which comes from being happy at another's distress.
Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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MLA Style
"distress." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009
- Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
- <www.yourdictionary.com/distress>
APA Style
distress. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary
- Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/distress
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