DISTRESS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does distress mean? 

• DISTRESS (noun)
  The noun DISTRESS has 4 senses:

1. psychological suffering

2. a state of adversity (danger or affliction or need)

3. extreme physical pain

4. the seizure and holding of property as security for payment of a debt or satisfaction of a claim

  Familiarity information: DISTRESS used as a noun is uncommon.

• DISTRESS (verb)
  The verb DISTRESS has 2 senses:

1. bring into difficulties or distress, especially financial hardship

2. cause mental pain to

  Familiarity information: DISTRESS used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DISTRESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Psychological suffering

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

distress; hurt; suffering

Context example:

the death of his wife caused him great distress

Hypernyms ("distress" is a kind of...):

pain; painfulness (emotional distress; a fundamental feeling that people try to avoid)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "distress"):

anguish; torment; torture (extreme mental distress)

self-torment; self-torture (self-imposed distress)

tsoris ((Yiddish) trouble and suffering)

wound (a figurative injury (to your feelings or pride))

Derivation:

distress (cause mental pain to)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A state of adversity (danger or affliction or need)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

she was the classic maiden in distress

Hypernyms ("distress" is a kind of...):

adversity; hard knocks; hardship (a state of misfortune or affliction)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "distress"):

anguish (extreme distress of body or mind)

pressure (an oppressive condition of physical or mental or social or economic distress)

throe (hard or painful trouble or struggle)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Extreme physical pain

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

the patient appeared to be in distress

Hypernyms ("distress" is a kind of...):

hurting; pain (a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The seizure and holding of property as security for payment of a debt or satisfaction of a claim

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

distraint; distress

Context example:

Originally distress was a landlord's remedy against a tenant for unpaid rents or property damage but now the landlord is given a landlord's lien

Hypernyms ("distress" is a kind of...):

seizure (the taking possession of something by legal process)

• DISTRESS (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they distress    ... he / she / it distresses   
Past simple: distressed   
Past participle: distressed   
-ing form: distressing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Bring into difficulties or distress, especially financial hardship

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

distress; straiten

Hypernyms (to "distress" is one way to...):

bother; discommode; disoblige; incommode; inconvenience; put out; trouble (to cause inconvenience or discomfort to)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cause mental pain to

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Context example:

The news of her child's illness distressed the mother

Hypernyms (to "distress" is one way to...):

disturb; trouble; upset (move deeply)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "distress"):

besiege (cause to feel distressed or worried)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

The bad news will distress him

Derivation:

distress (psychological suffering)

 Context examples 

Clinical manifestation of respiratory distress consisting of a relatively complete absence of oxygen.

(Anoxia, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

But when it did come, where could distress be found?

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

It is being studied as a way to relieve distress in cancer patients undergoing treatment for pain.

(Animal-assisted therapy, NCI Dictionary)

It manifests as respiratory distress and persistent pulmonary hypertension in infancy.

(Alveolar Capillary Dysplasia, NCI Thesaurus)

A question about an individual's distress at its worst.

(Being Distressed at its Worst, NCI Thesaurus)

Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS) Subjective, distress related to restlessness.

(BARS - Subjective, Distress, NCI Thesaurus)

Her father was growing distressed for money.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

This study isn’t designed to stress and worry women, especially those who have experienced the distress of pregnancy loss.

(Pregnancy losses and large numbers of children linked with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, University of Cambridge)

Cases of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome are not included in this definition.

(Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

A self-administered questionnaire designed to measure the degree of distress associated with the signs and symptoms of lymphedema in an operated breast.

(Breast Lymphedema Symptom Survey, NCI Thesaurus)