distress

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Definitions (39)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (11)

  1. transitive verb To cause strain, anxiety, or suffering to. See Synonyms at trouble.
  2. transitive verb Law To hold the property of (a person) against the payment of debts.
  3. transitive verb To mar or otherwise treat (an object or fabric, for example) to give the appearance of an antique or of heavy prior use: "There are the fakes—new rugs which have been intentionally distressed for an older look” (Hatfield MA Valley Advocate).
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Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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Examples (50)

  • Since he hadn't raised his voice, his distress was a bit of a revelation to her. —  Garwood, Julie - The Prize
  • His wife and six children were most to be commiserated, and their distress was his heaviest trial. —  Daniel Defoe
  • Can the sorrow of these, whose souls have been so close to the great soul of the dead, ever be assuaged But let their unquenchable anguish be stayed by the consciousness that their distress is our common distress. —  Reminiscences of Chekhov
  • As the distress was alluded to above, I may lighten the recent seriousness of my observations by an anecdote on the topic. —  The Reminiscences of an Irish Land Agent
  • By the time we arrive at the approaching Presidential election of 1952, the nation seems to be rather evenly divided on which way to go next - especially in the light of the distress from the Korean Conflict and the firing (for spuriously disguised political reasons) of the very popular General Douglas MacArthur - the most highly acclaimed and decorated war hero this nation had ever produced up until that time. —  MND: Your Daily Dose of Counter-Theory
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

misery ·  pain ·  despair ·  trouble ·  alarm ·  confusion ·  disgust ·  suffer ·  embarrassment ·  evil ·  sad ·  dread

Used in the same contextWord Family

distress:   distressed ·  distressing ·  distresses
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English distressen, from Old French destresser, from destresse, constraint, from Vulgar Latin *districtia, from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere, to hinder; see distrain.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English distressen, distresen, from Old French destresser, destrecier, destrechier, destroisser, restrain, constrain, put in straits, afflict, distress, from Middle Latin as if *districtiare, an assumed freq. form of Latin distringere, past participle districtus, pull asunder, stretch out, Middle Latin compel, coerce, distrain: see distrain and district. Hence (in part), by apheresis, stress, v., q. v.
  2. from Middle English distresse, destresse, from Old French destresse, destrece, destresce, destreche, destraiche, French détresse = Provencal destressa, destrecha, constraint, distress; from the verb. Hence, by apheresis, stress, n., q. v.
 

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/dɪsˈtrɛs/
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