Meaning

Physical or emotional discomfort, suffering, or alarm, particularly of a more acute nature..

Definitions by Sense

1. Physical or emotional discomfort, suffering, or alarm, particularly of a more acute nature.
2. A cause of such discomfort.
3. Serious danger.
4. (medicine, psychology) An aversive state of stress to which a person cannot fully adapt.
5. (law) A seizing of property without legal process to force payment of a debt.
6. (law) The thing taken by distraining; that which is seized to procure satisfaction.
7. To cause strain or anxiety to someone.
8. (law) To retain someone’s property against the payment of a debt; to distrain.

Example Sentences

To heighten his distress, he is approached by his wife, and bitterly upbraided for his perfidy in concealing from her his former connexions (with that unhappy girl who is here present with her child, the innocent offspring of her amours, fainting at the sight of his misfortunes, being unable to relieve him farther), and plunging her into those difficulties she never shall be able to surmount.

At any other time Jessamy would have laughed at the expressions that chased each other over his freckled face: crossness left over from his struggle with the baby; incredulity; distress; and finally delight.

I immediately considered that this must be some ship in distress, and that they had some comrade, or some other ship in company, and fired these gun for signals of distress, and to obtain help.

At length they perceived a little cottage; two persons in the decline of life dwelt in this desert, who were always ready to give every assistance in their power to their fellow-creatures in distress.

If he were not paid, he would straight go and take a distress of goods and cattle.

The distress thus taken must be proportioned to the thing distrained for.

She respects me, no doubt, but has no longer any passionate feeling for me, and my death will distress her without plunging her in despair.

This power of distress, as anciently used, became as oppressive as the feudal forfeiture. It was as hard for the tenant to be stripped in an instant of all his goods, for arrears of rent, as to be turned out of the possession of his farm.

Word Forms

• distresses
• distressing
• distressed

Synonyms for distress

Antonyms for distress

Related Words

When Should You Use Distress?

Use distress when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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