The Wordsmith Dictionary

Dis *tress ", n. Etym: [OE. destresse, distresse, OF. destresse,destrece, F. détresse, OF. destrecier to distress, (assumed ) LL. districtiare, fr. L. districtus, p. p. of distringere. See Distrain, and cf. Stress. ]

1. Extreme pain or suffering; anguish of body or mind; as, to suffer distress from the gout, or from the loss of friends. Not fearing death nor shrinking for distress. Shak.

2. That which occasions suffering; painful situation; misfortune; affliction; misery. Affliction's sons are brothers in distress. Burns.

3. A state of danger or necessity; as, a ship in distress, from leaking, loss of spars, want of provisions or water, etc.

4. (Law ) (a ) The act of distraining; the taking of a personal chattel out of the possession of a wrongdoer, by way of pledge for redress of an injury, or for the performance of a duty, as for nonpayment of rent or taxes, or for injury done by cattle, etc. (b ) The thing taken by distraining; that which is seized to procure satisfaction. Bouvier. Kent. Burrill. If he were not paid, he would straight go and take a distress of goods and cattle. Spenser. The distress thus taken must be proportioned to the thing distrained for. Blackstone. Abuse of distress. (Law ) See under Abuse.

Syn. -- Affliction; suffering; pain; agony; misery; torment; anguish; grief; sorrow; calamity; misfortune; trouble; adversity. See Affliction.

DISTRESS

Dis *tress ", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Distressed; p. pr. & vb. n.Distressing. ] Etym: [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. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. 2 Cor. iv. 8.

2. To compel by pain or suffering. Men who can neither be distressed nor won into a sacrifice of duty. A. Hamilton.

3. (Law )

Defn: To seize for debt; to distrain.

Syn. -- To pain; grieve; harass; trouble; perplex; afflict; worry; annoy.

DISTRESSEDNESS

DISTRESSEDNESS Dis *tress "ed *ness, n.

Defn: A state of being distressed or greatly pained.

DISTRESSFUL

DISTRESSFUL Dis *tress "ful, a.

Defn: Full of distress; causing, indicating, or attended with, distress; as, a distressful situation. "Some distressful stroke. " Shak. "Distressful cries. " Pope. -- Dis *tress "ful *ly, adv.

DISTRESSING

DISTRESSING Dis *tress "ing, a.

Defn: Causing distress; painful; unpleasant.

DISTRESSING

DISTRESSING Dis *tress "ing, adv.

Defn: In a distressing manner.

New American Oxford Dictionary

distress

dis tress |disˈtres dəˈstrɛs | ▶noun 1 extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain: to his distress he saw that she was trembling. • the state of a ship or aircraft when in danger or difficulty and needing help: vessels in distress on or near the coast. • suffering caused by lack of money or the basic necessities of life: the poor were helped in their distress. • Medicine a state of physical strain, exhaustion, or, in particular, breathing difficulty: they said the baby was in distress. 2 Law another term for distraint. ▶verb [ with obj. ] 1 cause (someone ) anxiety, sorrow, or pain: I didn't mean to distress you | [ with obj. and infinitive ] : he was distressed to find that Anna would not talk to him. 2 give (furniture, leather, or clothing ) simulated marks of age and wear: the manner in which leather jackets are industrially distressed. DERIVATIVES dis tress ful |-fəl |adjective ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French destresce (noun ), destrecier (verb ), based on Latin distringere ‘stretch apart. ’

distressed

dis tressed |disˈtrest dəˈstrɛst | ▶adjective suffering from anxiety, sorrow, or pain: I was distressed at the news of his death. • dated impoverished: women in distressed circumstances. • (of furniture, leather, or clothing ) having simulated marks of age and wear: a distressed leather jacket. • (of property ) for sale at unusually low prices or at a loss, esp. due to mortgage foreclosure or because it is part of an insolvent estate.

distressed area

dis |tressed area ▶noun a region of high unemployment and poverty.

distressing

dis tress ing |disˈtresiNG dɪˈstresɪŋ | ▶adjective causing anxiety, sorrow or pain; upsetting: some very distressing news. DERIVATIVES dis tress ing ly adverb [ as submodifier ] : the pattern was distressingly familiar

distress rocket

dis |tress rocket ▶noun a rocket fired as a distress signal.

distress sale

dis tress sale ▶noun a sale of goods or assets at reduced prices to raise much-needed funds.

distress signal

dis tress sig nal ▶noun a signal from a ship or aircraft in danger.

distress warrant

dis |tress war |rant ▶noun Law a warrant authorizing distraint.

Oxford Dictionary

distress

dis |tress |dɪˈstrɛs | ▶noun [ mass noun ] 1 extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain: to his distress he saw that she was trembling | her fingers flew to her throat in distress . • the state of a ship or aircraft when in danger or difficulty and needing help: vessels in distress on or near the coast | [ as modifier ] : a distress call. • difficulty caused by lack of money: a company in financial distress. • Medicine a state of physical strain, especially difficulty in breathing: they said the baby was in distress. 2 Law another term for distraint. ▶verb [ with obj. ] 1 cause (someone ) anxiety, sorrow, or pain: I didn't mean to distress you | please don't distress yourself . 2 give (furniture or clothing ) simulated marks of age and wear: the manner in which leather jackets are industrially distressed. DERIVATIVES distressful adjective ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French destresce (noun ), destrecier (verb ), based on Latin distringere ‘stretch apart ’.

distressed

dis |tressed |dɪˈstrɛst | ▶adjective 1 suffering from extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain: I was distressed at the news of his death | the distressed relatives of his victims. • dated impoverished: women in distressed circumstances. • informal, chiefly US (of property ) offered for sale cheaply due to mortgage foreclosure or because it is part of an insolvent estate. 2 (of furniture or clothing ) having simulated marks of age and wear: a distressed leather jacket.

distressed area

dis |tressed area ▶noun a region of high unemployment and poverty.

distressing

dis ¦tress |ing |dɪˈstrɛsɪŋ | ▶adjective causing anxiety, sorrow or pain; upsetting: some very distressing news. DERIVATIVES distressingly adverb [ as submodifier ] : the pattern was distressingly familiar

distress rocket

dis |tress rocket ▶noun a rocket fired as a distress signal.

distress sale

dis tress sale ▶noun a sale of goods or assets at reduced prices to raise much-needed funds.

distress signal

dis |tress sig ¦nal ▶noun a signal from a ship or aircraft that is in danger.

distress warrant

dis |tress war |rant ▶noun Law a warrant authorizing distraint.

American Oxford Thesaurus

distress

distress noun 1 she concealed her distress: anguish, suffering, pain, agony, torment, heartache, heartbreak; misery, wretchedness, sorrow, grief, woe, sadness, unhappiness, desolation, despair. ANTONYMS happiness. 2 a ship in distress: danger, peril, difficulty, trouble, jeopardy, risk. ANTONYMS safety. 3 the distress of the refugees: hardship, adversity, poverty, deprivation, privation, destitution, indigence, impoverishment, penury, need, dire straits. ANTONYMS prosperity. ▶verb he was distressed by the trial: cause anguish to, cause suffering to, pain, upset, make miserable; trouble, worry, bother, perturb, disturb, disquiet, agitate, harrow, torment. ANTONYMS calm, please.

distressing

distressing adjective the news was terribly distressing: upsetting, worrying, disturbing, disquieting, painful, traumatic, agonizing, harrowing; sad, saddening, heartbreaking, heart-rending; informal gut-wrenching. ANTONYMS comforting.

Oxford Thesaurus

distress

distress noun 1 she was trying to conceal her distress: anguish, suffering, pain, agony, ache, affliction, torment, torture, discomfort, heartache, heartbreak; misery, wretchedness, sorrow, grief, woe, sadness, unhappiness, desolation, despair; trouble, worry, anxiety, perturbation, uneasiness, disquiet, angst. ANTONYMS happiness, comfort. 2 a ship in distress: danger, peril, difficulty, trouble, jeopardy, risk, hazard, endangerment, imperilment; insecurity, instability, precariousness. ANTONYMS safety. 3 the poor were helped in their distress: hardship, adversity, tribulation, misfortune, ill /bad luck, trouble, calamity; poverty, deprivation, privation, destitution, indigence, impoverishment, penury, need, want, lack, beggary, dire straits. ANTONYMS prosperity, comfort. ▶verb 1 he's been distressed by the trial: cause anguish to, cause suffering to, pain, upset, make miserable, make wretched; grieve, sadden; trouble, worry, bother, arouse anxiety in, perturb, disturb, disquiet, agitate, vex, harrow, torment, torture, afflict, rack, curse, oppress, plague, dog; informal cut up. ANTONYMS calm, soothe; please. 2 technical the fireplaces were distressed: age, season, condition, mellow, weather, simulate age in; damage, spoil, dent, scratch, chip, batter. ANTONYMS restore.

distressing

distressing adjective it was distressing to hear her talking like that: upsetting, worrying, affecting, painful, traumatic, agonizing, harrowing, tormenting; sad, saddening, pitiful, heartbreaking, heart-rending, tragic, haunting; disturbing, unsettling, disquieting; shocking, alarming; informal gut-wrenching; rare distressful. ANTONYMS comforting.

Sanseido Wisdom Dictionary

distress

dis tress /dɪstrés /〖語源は「強く引き離す」〗名詞複～es /-ɪz /1 U 苦悩, 心痛 ; 悲嘆 (→sorrow 類義 ); 〖時にa ～〗 «…にとっての » 悩みの種 «to » ▸ She is in emotional [mental ] distress .彼女は精神的にひどく苦しんでいる ▸ The accident caused him great distress .その事故で彼は大変心を痛めた 2 U ｟かたく｠(肉体的 )苦痛 ; (極度の )疲労 ▸ Tom began to show signs of distress .トムは疲労の色を見せ始めた 3 U 困窮, 苦境 ; 貧苦, 窮乏 ▸ The company is in acute financial distress .その会社は深刻な財政難にある 4 U (船飛行機などの )遭難, 難事 .5 U C 〘法〙差し押さえ (物件 [財産 ]).動詞他動詞 1 〈人物事が〉〈人〉を苦悩させる , …に心痛を与える, 悲しませる ;〖be ～ed /～ oneself 〗 «…で /…して /…ということに » 苦しむ, 心を痛める, 悩む «at , by , with /to do /that 節 » ▸ I didn't tell them everything so as not to distress them .彼らを悩ませないようにすべては話さないようにした ▸ The patient was distressed by breathing difficulties .その患者は呼吸困難に苦しめられた 2 〈人〉を追い込んで …させる .～́ s ì gnal 遭難信号 .

distressed

dis tr é ssed /-t /形容詞 1 (精神的に )苦しんでいる, 悩んでいる ▸ I feel deeply distressed by the result .私はその結果にひどく心を痛めている 2 (肉体的な )苦痛を受けている .3 ｟かたく｠困窮している .～̀ á rea 不況 [窮乏 ]地域 .

distressful

dis tress ful /dɪstrésf (ə )l /形容詞苦しい, つらい, 悲惨な .～ly 副詞苦しく, つらく, 悲惨に .

distressing

dis tr é ss ing 形容詞苦悩を与える [悩ます ] (ような ), 痛ましい, 悲惨な .～ly 副詞