[syn: deplorable, distressing, lamentable, pitiful, sad, sorry]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Distress \Dis*tress"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Distressed; p. pr.
& vb. n. Distressing.] [Cf. OF. destrecier. See Distress,
n.]
1. To cause pain or anguish to; to pain; to oppress with
calamity; to afflict; to harass; to make miserable.
[1913 Webster]
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed.
--2 Cor. iv.
8.
[1913 Webster]
2. To compel by pain or suffering.
[1913 Webster]
Men who can neither be distressed nor won into a
sacrifice of duty. --A. Hamilton.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Law) To seize for debt; to distrain.
Syn: To pain; grieve; harass; trouble; perplex; afflict;
worry; annoy.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
distressing \dis*tress"ing\ (d[i^]s*tr[e^]s"[i^]ng), a.
Causing distress; painful; unpleasant.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Distressing \Dis*tress"ing\, adv.
In a distressing manner.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
distressing
adj 1: causing distress or worry or anxiety; "distressing (or
disturbing) news"; "lived in heroic if something
distressful isolation"; "a disturbing amount of crime";
"a revelation that was most perturbing"; "a new and
troubling thought"; "in a particularly worrisome
predicament"; "a worrying situation"; "a worrying time"
[syn: distressing, distressful, disturbing,
perturbing, troubling, worrisome, worrying]
2: bad; unfortunate; "my finances were in a deplorable state";
"a lamentable decision"; "her clothes were in sad shape"; "a
sorry state of affairs" [syn: deplorable, distressing,
lamentable, pitiful, sad, sorry]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
118 Moby Thesaurus words for "distressing":
acute, affecting, afflictive, agonizing, annoying, atrocious,
baleful, baneful, biting, bitter, bleak, bothersome, calamitous,
chafing, cheerless, comfortless, corroding, corrosive, corrupting,
corruptive, counterproductive, cramping, cruel, damaging, deadly,
deleterious, deplorable, depressing, depressive, detrimental, dire,
disadvantageous, discomforting, dismal, dismaying, disquieting,
disserviceable, distressful, disturbing, dolorific, dolorogenic,
dolorous, dreary, excruciating, fretting, gnawing, grave, grievous,
griping, harassing, hard, harmful, harrowing, harsh, heartbreaking,
hurtful, hurting, injurious, joyless, lamentable, lethal, malefic,
malevolent, malign, malignant, mischievous, mournful, moving,
noisome, noxious, ominous, painful, paroxysmal, pathetic,
pernicious, piercing, piteous, pitiable, plaguing, poignant,
poisonous, prejudicial, pungent, racking, regrettable, rueful, sad,
saddening, scatheful, severe, sharp, shooting, sore, sorrowful,
spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, stabbing, stinging, tormenting,
torturous, touching, toxic, troublesome, uncomfortable,
unfortunate, upsetting, venenate, veneniferous, venenous, venomous,
vicious, virulent, woebegone, woeful, worrisome, worrying,
wretched