[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