7 definitions found for distressing

Distressing DISTRESSING, ppr.
1. Giving severe pain; oppressing with affliction.
2. a. Very afflicting; affecting with severe pain; as a distressing sickness.

distressing adj 1: causing distress or worry or anxiety; "distressing (or disturbing) news"; "lived in heroic if something distressful isolation"; "a disturbing amount of crime"; "a revelation that was most perturbing"; "a new and troubling thought"; "in a particularly worrisome predicament"; "a worrying situation"; "a worrying time" [syn: distressing, distressful, disturbing, perturbing, troubling, worrisome, worrying] 2: bad; unfortunate; "my finances were in a deplorable state"; "a lamentable decision"; "her clothes were in sad shape"; "a sorry state of affairs" [syn: deplorable, distressing, lamentable, pitiful, sad, sorry]

distressing If something is distressing, it upsets you or worries you. It is very distressing to see your baby attached to tubes and monitors... ADJ • distressingly ...a distressingly large bloodstain. ADV: usu ADV adj

Distressing Dis*tress"ing, a. Causing distress; painful; unpleasant.

Distressing Dis*tress"ing, adv. In a distressing manner.

Distress Dis*tress", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Distressed; p. pr. & vb. n. Distressing.] [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) To seize for debt; to distrain. Syn: To pain; grieve; harass; trouble; perplex; afflict; worry; annoy.

118 Moby Thesaurus words for "distressing": acute, affecting, afflictive, agonizing, annoying, atrocious, baleful, baneful, biting, bitter, bleak, bothersome, calamitous, chafing, cheerless, comfortless, corroding, corrosive, corrupting, corruptive, counterproductive, cramping, cruel, damaging, deadly, deleterious, deplorable, depressing, depressive, detrimental, dire, disadvantageous, discomforting, dismal, dismaying, disquieting, disserviceable, distressful, disturbing, dolorific, dolorogenic, dolorous, dreary, excruciating, fretting, gnawing, grave, grievous, griping, harassing, hard, harmful, harrowing, harsh, heartbreaking, hurtful, hurting, injurious, joyless, lamentable, lethal, malefic, malevolent, malign, malignant, mischievous, mournful, moving, noisome, noxious, ominous, painful, paroxysmal, pathetic, pernicious, piercing, piteous, pitiable, plaguing, poignant, poisonous, prejudicial, pungent, racking, regrettable, rueful, sad, saddening, scatheful, severe, sharp, shooting, sore, sorrowful, spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, stabbing, stinging, tormenting, torturous, touching, toxic, troublesome, uncomfortable, unfortunate, upsetting, venenate, veneniferous, venenous, venomous, vicious, virulent, woebegone, woeful, worrisome, worrying, wretched