great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble.
2.
a state of extreme necessity or misfortune.
3.
the state of a ship or airplane requiring immediate assistance, as when on fire in transit.
4.
that which causes pain, suffering, trouble, danger, etc.
5.
liability or exposure to pain, suffering, trouble, etc.; danger: a damsel in distress.
6.
Law.
a.
the legal seizure and detention of the goods of another as security or satisfaction for debt, etc.; the act of distraining.
b.
the thing seized in distraining.
7.
to dent, scratch, or stain (furniture, lumber, or the like) so as to give an appearance of age.
–adjective
8.
afflicted with or suffering distress: distress livestock; distress wheat.
9.
caused by or indicative of distress or hardship: distress prices; distress borrowing.
–verb (used with object)
10.
to afflict with great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; trouble; worry; bother.
11.
to subject to pressure, stress, or strain; embarrass or exhaust by strain: to be distressed by excessive work.
12.
to compel by pain or force of circumstances: His suffering distressed him into committing suicide.
[Origin: 1250–1300; (n.) ME destresse < AF distresse, destresse, OF < VL *districtia, equiv. to L district(us) (see district) + -ia-y3; (v.) ME destressen < AF destresser (OF destrecier), deriv. of the n.]
—Related forms
dis·tress·ing·ly, adverb
—Synonyms 1. agony, anguish, adversity, tribulation. See sorrow.2. need, destitution.
To cause strain, anxiety, or suffering to. See Synonyms at trouble.
Law To hold the property of (a person) against the payment of debts.
To mar or otherwise treat (an object or fabric, for example) to give the appearance of an antique or of heavy prior use: "There are the fakes—new rugs which have been intentionally distressed for an older look"(Hatfield MA Valley Advocate).
Archaic To constrain or overcome by harassment.
n.
Anxiety or mental suffering.
Severe strain resulting from exhaustion or an accident.
Acute physical discomfort.
Physical deterioration, as of a highway, caused by hard use over time: pavement distress.
The act of distraining or seizing to compel payment.
The goods thus seized.
The condition of being in need of immediate assistance: a motorist in distress.
Law
The act of distraining or seizing to compel payment.
The goods thus seized.
[Middle English distressen, from Old French destresser, from destresse, constraint, from Vulgar Latin *districtia, from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere, to hinder; see distrain.]
c.1280, from O.Fr. destresse, from Gallo-Romance *districtia "restraint, affliction," from L. districtus, pp. of distringere "draw apart, hinder," also, in M.L. "compel, coerce," from dis- "apart" + stringere "draw tight, press together" (see strain (v.)).
psychological suffering; "the death of his wife caused him great distress"
2.
a state of adversity (danger or affliction or need); "a ship in distress"; "she was the classic maiden in distress"
3.
extreme physical pain; "the patient appeared to be in distress"
4.
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"
verb
1.
bring into difficulties or distress, especially financial hardship [syn: straiten]
2.
cause mental pain to; "The news of her child's illness distressed the mother"
great sorrow, trouble or pain Example: She was in great distress over his disappearance; Is your leg causing you any distress?; The loss of all their money left the family in acute distress.
Arabic:
كَرَب، حُزْن، غَم
Chinese (Simplified):
悲痛
Chinese (Traditional):
悲痛
Czech:
úzkost; bolest; bída
Danish:
sorg; bekymring; smerte; nød
Dutch:
leed, pijn
Estonian:
ahastus, häda
Finnish:
ahdinko
French:
détresse
German:
die Qual
Greek:
θλίψη, πόνος, οδύνη
Hungarian:
gyötrelem, aggodalom
Icelandic:
kvöl, þjáning, neyð
Indonesian:
sedih
Italian:
angoscia
Japanese:
悩み
Korean:
고민, 고통, 곤궁함
Latvian:
bēdas; ciešanas; posts
Lithuanian:
sielvartas, širdgėla
Norwegian:
fortvilelse, bedrøvelse, smerte
Polish:
zmartwienie, cierpienie
Portuguese (Brazil):
aflição
Portuguese (Portugal):
sofrimento
Romanian:
suferinţă
Russian:
огорчение; горе
Slovak:
starosť; ťažkosť
Slovenian:
velika žalost; stiska
Spanish:
aflicción
Swedish:
bedrövelse, smärta, trångmål
Turkish:
acı, ıstırap
distress2[diˈstres]noun
a cause of sorrow Example: My inability to draw has always been a distress to me.
Arabic:
سَبب في الحُزْن، مَكْروب
Chinese (Simplified):
苦恼
Chinese (Traditional):
苦惱
Czech:
trápení
Danish:
sorg
Dutch:
bron van verdriet
Estonian:
mure
Finnish:
murhe
French:
affliction
German:
das Leid
Greek:
δυστυχία
Hungarian:
bánat
Icelandic:
valda sorg
Indonesian:
penyebab kesedihan
Italian:
dolore
Japanese:
悩みの種
Korean:
고민거리
Latvian:
ciešanu cēlonis
Lithuanian:
sielvarto sukėlėjas
Norwegian:
bekymring, skuffelse
Polish:
zmartwienie
Portuguese (Brazil):
aflição
Portuguese (Portugal):
pena
Romanian:
nenorocire
Russian:
причина огорчения
Slovak:
trápenie
Slovenian:
žalost
Spanish:
preocupación, angustia
Swedish:
sorg
Turkish:
üzüntü kaynağı, dert
distress[diˈstres]verb
to cause pain or sorrow to Example: I'm distressed by your lack of interest.
Af*flic"tion\, n. [F. affliction, L. afflictio, fr. affligere.]1. The cause of continued pain of body or mind, as sickness, losses, etc.; an instance of grievous distress; a pain or grief. To repay that money will be a biting affliction. --Shak. 2. The state of being afflicted; a state of pain, distress, or grief. Some virtues are seen only in affliction. --Addison. Syn: Calamity; sorrow; distress; grief; pain; adversity; misery; wretchedness; misfortune; trouble; hardship. Usage: Affliction, Sorrow, Grief, Distress. Affliction and sorrow are terms of wide and general application; grief and distress have reference to particular cases. Affliction is the stronger term. The suffering lies deeper in the soul, and usually arises from some powerful cause, such as the loss of what is most dear -- friends, health, etc. We do not speak of mere sickness or pain as "an affliction," though one who suffers from either is said to be afflicted; but deprivations of every kind, such as deafness, blindness, loss of limbs, etc., are called afflictions, showing that term applies particularly to prolonged sources of suffering. Sorrow and grief are much alike in meaning, but grief is the stronger term of the two, usually denoting poignant mental suffering for some definite cause, as, grief for the death of a dear friend; sorrow is more reflective, and is tinged with regret, as, the misconduct of a child is looked upon with sorrow. Grief is often violent and demonstrative; sorrow deep and brooding. Distress implies extreme suffering, either bodily or mental. In its higher stages, it denotes pain of a restless, agitating kind, and almost always supposes some struggle of mind or body. Affliction is allayed, grief subsides, sorrow is soothed, distress is mitigated.
Dis*train"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Distrained; p. pr. & vb. n. Distraining.] [OE. destreinen to force, OF. destreindre to press, oppress, force, fr. L. distringere, districtum, to draw asunder, hinder, molest, LL., to punish severely; di- = stringere to draw tight, press together. See Strain, and cf. Distress, District, Distraint.]1. To press heavily upon; to bear down upon with violence; hence, to constrain or compel; to bind; to distress, torment, or afflict. [Obs.] "Distrained with chains." --Chaucer. 2. To rend; to tear. [Obs.] Neither guile nor force might it [a net] distrain. --Spenser. 3. (Law) (a) To seize, as a pledge or indemnification; to take possession of as security for nonpayment of rent, the reparation of an injury done, etc.; to take by distress; as, to distrain goods for rent, or of an amercement. (b) To subject to distress; to coerce; as, to distrain a person by his goods and chattels.
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