'Distress' definitions:
Definition of 'distress'
From: WordNet
noun
Psychological suffering; "the death of his wife caused him great distress" [syn: distress, hurt, suffering]
noun
A state of adversity (danger or affliction or need); "a ship in distress"; "she was the classic maiden in distress"
noun
Extreme physical pain; "the patient appeared to be in distress"
noun
The seizure and holding of property as security for payment of a debt or satisfaction of a claim; "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" [syn: distress, distraint]
verb
Bring into difficulties or distress, especially financial hardship [syn: straiten, distress]
verb
Cause mental pain to; "The news of her child's illness distressed the mother"
Definition of 'Distress'
From: GCIDE
- Distress \Dis*tress"\, n. [OE. destresse, distresse, OF. destresse, destrece, F. d['e]tresse, 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. [1913 Webster]
- Not fearing death nor shrinking for distress. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 2. That which occasions suffering; painful situation; misfortune; affliction; misery. [1913 Webster]
- Affliction's sons are brothers in distress. --Burns. [1913 Webster]
- 3. A state of danger or necessity; as, a ship in distress, from leaking, loss of spars, want of provisions or water, etc. [1913 Webster]
- 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. [1913 Webster]
- If he were not paid, he would straight go and take a distress of goods and cattle. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]
- The distress thus taken must be proportioned to the thing distrained for. --Blackstone. [1913 Webster]
- Abuse of distress. (Law) See under Abuse.
- Syn: Affliction; suffering; pain; agony; misery; torment; anguish; grief; sorrow; calamity; misfortune; trouble; adversity. See Affliction. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Distress'
From: GCIDE
- 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. [1913 Webster]
- We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. --2 Cor. iv. 8. [1913 Webster]
- 2. To compel by pain or suffering. [1913 Webster]
- Men who can neither be distressed nor won into a sacrifice of duty. --A. Hamilton. [1913 Webster]
- 3. (Law) To seize for debt; to distrain.
- Syn: To pain; grieve; harass; trouble; perplex; afflict; worry; annoy. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'distress'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- abashment,
- abuse,
- ache,
- aches and pains,
- aching,
- adversity,
- afflict,
- affliction,
- aggrieve,
- agitate,
- agitation,
- agonize,
- agony,
- ail,
- all-overs,
- amercement,
- angary,
- angst,
- anguish,
- annexation,
- annexure,
- annoy,
- anxiety,
- anxiety hysteria,
- anxiety neurosis,
- anxious bench,
- anxious concern,
- anxious seat,
- anxiousness,
- apprehension,
- apprehensiveness,
- attachment,
- be the matter,
- befoul,
- beset,
- bewitch,
- bite,
- bitter cup,
- bitter draft,
- bitter draught,
- bitter pill,
- bitterness,
- bleakness,
- blight,
- blow,
- bother,
- broken fortune,
- burden,
- burden of care,
- burn,
- calamity,
- cankerworm of care,
- care,
- catastrophe,
- chafe,
- chagrin,
- cheerlessness,
- collectivization,
- comfortlessness,
- commandeering,
- communalization,
- communization,
- complicate matters,
- concern,
- concernment,
- condemn,
- confiscation,
- confusion,
- constrain,
- convulse,
- corrupt,
- cramp,
- cross,
- crown of thorns,
- crucify,
- curse,
- cut,
- damage,
- damages,
- defile,
- deprave,
- depress,
- depression,
- desolation,
- despoil,
- destroy,
- difficulties,
- difficulty,
- disadvantage,
- disaster,
- discomfiture,
- discomfort,
- discommode,
- discomposure,
- disconcertion,
- disconcertment,
- discountenance,
- dismalness,
- dismay,
- disquiet,
- disquietude,
- disserve,
- distraint,
- distressfulness,
- disturb,
- disturbance,
- do a mischief,
- do evil,
- do ill,
- do wrong,
- do wrong by,
- dolor,
- doom,
- dread,
- dreariness,
- embarrassment,
- eminent domain,
- encumbrance,
- envenom,
- escheat,
- escheatment,
- excruciate,
- execution,
- exigency,
- expropriation,
- fear,
- fester,
- fine,
- foreboding,
- forebodingness,
- forfeit,
- forfeiture,
- frazzle,
- fret,
- gall,
- gall and wormwood,
- garnishment,
- genteel poverty,
- get into trouble,
- give concern,
- give pain,
- gnaw,
- grate,
- grief,
- grievance,
- grieve,
- grievousness,
- grind,
- gripe,
- harass,
- hard pinch,
- hardship,
- harm,
- harrow,
- harry,
- heartache,
- heartbreak,
- hex,
- hurt,
- hurting,
- impair,
- impecuniosity,
- impecuniousness,
- impoundment,
- impressment,
- inconvenience,
- infect,
- inflame,
- inflict pain,
- infliction,
- injure,
- injury,
- inquietude,
- insolvency,
- irk,
- irritate,
- jinx,
- joylessness,
- kill by inches,
- lacerate,
- lament,
- lamentability,
- lamentation,
- lesion,
- levy,
- light purse,
- load,
- load with care,
- malaise,
- maltreat,
- martyr,
- martyrize,
- menace,
- misery,
- misfortune,
- misgiving,
- mistreat,
- molest,
- mortification,
- mourn,
- mournfulness,
- mulct,
- narrow means,
- nasty blow,
- nationalization,
- nervous strain,
- nervous tension,
- nervousness,
- nip,
- oppress,
- oppression,
- outrage,
- overanxiety,
- pack of troubles,
- pain,
- painfulness,
- pang,
- pass,
- passion,
- pathos,
- peck of troubles,
- perplex,
- persecute,
- perturb,
- perturbation,
- pester,
- pierce,
- pinch,
- pins and needles,
- pitiability,
- pitiableness,
- pitifulness,
- plague,
- play havoc with,
- play hob with,
- poignancy,
- poison,
- pollute,
- poorness,
- pother,
- poverty,
- prejudice,
- prick,
- prolong the agony,
- pucker,
- put out,
- put to it,
- put to torture,
- puzzle,
- rack,
- rankle,
- rasp,
- regrettableness,
- right of angary,
- rigor,
- rub,
- sadness,
- savage,
- scathe,
- Schmerz,
- sconce,
- sea of troubles,
- sequestration,
- sharpness,
- shock,
- slender means,
- socialization,
- solicitude,
- sore,
- sore spot,
- sorrow,
- sorrowfulness,
- spasm,
- stab,
- stew,
- sting,
- strain,
- strait,
- straitened circumstances,
- straits,
- stress,
- stress of life,
- stroke,
- suffering,
- suspense,
- taint,
- tender spot,
- tension,
- thorn,
- threaten,
- throes,
- tight squeeze,
- torment,
- torture,
- tragedy,
- trial,
- tribulation,
- trouble,
- try,
- tweak,
- twinge,
- twist,
- uneasiness,
- unhappiness,
- unprosperousness,
- unquietness,
- upset,
- vex,
- vexation,
- vicissitude,
- violate,
- visitation,
- voluntary poverty,
- vows of poverty,
- waters of bitterness,
- weigh,
- weight,
- woe,
- woebegoneness,
- woefulness,
- worry,
- wound,
- wreak havoc on,
- wrench,
- wretchedness,
- wring,
- wrong,
- zeal