distressed

adjective

dis·​tressed di-ˈstrest How to pronounce distressed (audio)
Synonyms of distressednext
: of, relating to, or experiencing economic decline or difficulty
federal grants for distressed cities

Examples of distressed in a Sentence

She felt emotionally and physically distressed. The government provided funds to the economically distressed city. Donations were given to financially distressed families.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Citadel managed about $71 billion in assets as of July 1 and has often used periods of market dislocation to deploy capital into distressed or forced-selling situations. — Yun Li, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026 Dlamini and the new team take control as the financial sector watchdog continues its independent investigation into the fund’s governance and its $6 billion unlisted portfolio — about 40% of which is distressed. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026 In the TikTok livestream, which has since been taken down, Hilton appears to be bloodied and in a distressed mental state. — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026 These were voices—complaining, confiding, exasperated, distressed—that had not been heard before, as if the novel were a speaking tube cued to an underground rumble. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for distressed

Word History

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of distressed was in 1613

Rhymes for distressed

See All Rhymes for distressed

Browse Nearby Words

distress call
distressed
distressful
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Distressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distressed. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on distressed

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for distressed

Nglish: Translation of distressed for Spanish Speakers

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