DISTRESS
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 1 sense:
1. cause mental pain to
Familiarity information: DISTRESS used as a verb is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
• DISTRESS (noun)
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))
Meaning:
A state of adversity (danger or affliction or need)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Context examples:
a ship in distress / 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)
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)
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)
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
