distressful
/dis'tresful/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Causing distress, worry, or anxiety: Describing a situation, event, or piece of information that results in feelings of mental pain, sorrow, or unease.
- Deeply troubling or upsetting: Characterizing something that is profoundly disturbing to one's peace of mind.
Usage and Examples
- Adjective:
- The distressful news of the accident spread quickly through the community.
- She found the constant media coverage of the crisis to be deeply distressful.
- Living in such distressful conditions took a toll on his health.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- Formal/Descriptive Context: "Distressful" is often used in more formal, literary, or descriptive writing to convey a strong sense of emotional or psychological suffering.
- The documentary provided a distressful account of the war's impact on civilians.
- Describing States or Conditions: It frequently modifies nouns referring to situations, news, thoughts, or environments.
- The silence in the abandoned house was oddly distressful.
Variants and Related Words
- Distress (noun/verb): The state of or cause of suffering.
- Distressing (adjective): Very similar in meaning to "distressful," often used interchangeably.
- Distressed (adjective): Suffering from distress; also describing something worn or treated to look old.
Synonyms
- Disturbing: Causing anxiety or unease; upsetting.
- Upsetting: Making someone unhappy, disappointed, or worried.
- Troubling: Causing worry or distress.
- Perturbing: Causing someone to be worried or upset.
- Worrisome: Causing worry or anxiety.
Antonyms
- Comforting: Serving to alleviate a person's feelings of grief or distress.
- Reassuring: Serving to restore confidence; reducing anxiety.
- Soothing: Having a gently calming effect.
Related Phrases and Idioms
(Note: "Distressful" itself is not commonly used in fixed idioms. The related noun "distress" is used instead.) - In distress: In a state of extreme sorrow, suffering, or danger. - The ship was in distress and sent a radio call for help. - Distress signal: A signal sent by a person or group in serious trouble or danger. - They fired a flare as a distress signal.
Adjective
- 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