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distressing

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verb

present participle of distress

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for distressing
Adjective
  • While the Eagles triumphed 22-10, advancing to the NFC Divisional Round, the victory was overshadowed by the disturbing exchange in the stands.
    Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
  • The disturbing new figures are inching close to the same number of people — 1.5 million— who were internally displaced by Haiti’s cataclysmic earthquake, which struck 15 years ago on Jan. 12, 2010.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • At least one desperate Russian command, the 20th Combined Arms Army, has formed assault groups made up of walking wounded—including injured men walking with the aid of crutches—and sent them into battle with predictably tragic results.
    David Axe, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
  • Coweta County Fire Rescue continues to be devastated by the tragic passing of Battalion Chief Bart Cauthen.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Add Vargas to the long list of Americans who have been uneasy about TikTok’s future.
    Jeff Gluck, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
  • For all of their uneasy gazing and silent discernment, artful visages are a key element in the decor.
    Leilani Marie Labong, Architectural Digest, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • And to think that the ground is ever-changing, well, that's a bit unsettling.
    Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 18 Jan. 2025
  • Yes, some of the gross body-horror stuff is very unsettling, but that’s not enough to make this a good movie.
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Having a professional to talk to can help process and unpack unfortunate changes, and point towards new possibilities.
    Chris Westfall, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Far too often over the previous three seasons, unfortunate and often unlucky things happened when Jackson threw the ball in Bateman’s direction.
    Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • For example, someone not willing to open up to you about certain aspects of their personal life can be interpreted as personal rejection, which may trigger defensive or anxious behaviors.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
  • More than a few have faced foreclosure, leaving owners anxious about the need to get tenants back in their buildings or find another use for the millions of unused square feet.
    Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • This is a clever way to offer a dual-screen experience without the flaws inherent to current dual-screen laptops, including distracting hinges and designs with questionable durability.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 7 Jan. 2025
  • In a car, this could be used to hide distracting entertainment displays from the driver while passengers are able to see information such as music playlists or calendar alerts, for example.
    Barry Collins, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • This gender disparity is particularly troubling given that 79% of working women—compared with 58% of working men—are in occupations susceptible to generative AI disruption.
    Bernard Marr, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Those tapes, and Sampson’s 38-page criminal history — including charges never even pursued by prosecutors — raise some troubling questions about the conduct of the city’s police officers.
    JULIE K. BROWN, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near distressing

Cite this Entry

“Distressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distressing. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

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