distress — extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain
Pronunciation (IPA): /dɪˈstres/
Example Sentences
- When my phone battery died during an important call, I was in serious distress.
- The ship sent out a distress signal when it began sinking.
- My mom's distressed face when she saw my report card was worse than any punishment.
distress
NOUN[/dɪˈstres/]
extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain
The sailor waves his arms in distress as huge waves crash over his tiny boat.
Turn your distress into art you express!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old French 'destresse' meaning hardship or suffering, derived from Latin 'districtus' (past participle of distringere, meaning to stretch apart or pull in different directions), combined with the prefix dis- (apart) and stringere (to draw tight).
Breakdown
dis- (apart, in different directions) + stress (from Latin stringere, to draw tight) = distress (to cause suffering or anxiety by pulling in different emotional directions)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“When my phone battery died during an important call, I was in serious distress.”
“The ship sent out a distress signal when it began sinking.”
“My mom's distressed face when she saw my report card was worse than any punishment.”
“Financial distress forced many small businesses to close during the pandemic.”
📚Related Words
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