[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

distress \distress"\, 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
see also:
distressed distressing distress 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

distressing \distress"ing\ di^stre^s"i^ng, a.
   causing distress; painful; unpleasant.
   1913 webster

[3] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

distressing \distress"ing\, adv.
   in a distressing manner.
   1913 webster

[4] : WordNet (r) 2.0

distressing
     adj 1: causing distress or worry or anxiety; "distressing or
            disturbing news"; "lived in heroic if something
            distressful isolation"; "a disturbing amount of
            crime"; "a revelation that was most perturbing"; "a
            new and troubling thought"; "in a particularly
            worrisome predicament"; "a worrying situation"; "a
            worrying time" syn: distressful, disturbing, perturbing,
             troubling, worrisome, worrying
     2: bad; unfortunate; "my finances were in a deplorable state";
        "a lamentable decision"; "her clothes were in sad shape";
        "a sorry state of affairs" syn: deplorable, lamentable,
         pitiful, sad, sorry
see also:
distressful disturbing perturbing troubling worrisome worrying 
deplorable lamentable pitiful sad sorry 

[5] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

118 moby thesaurus words for "distressing":
   acute, affecting, afflictive, agonizing, annoying, atrocious,
   baleful, baneful, biting, bitter, bleak, bothersome, calamitous,
   chafing, cheerless, comfortless, corroding, corrosive, corrupting,
   corruptive, counterproductive, cramping, cruel, damaging, deadly,
   deleterious, deplorable, depressing, depressive, detrimental, dire,
   disadvantageous, discomforting, dismal, dismaying, disquieting,
   disserviceable, distressful, disturbing, dolorific, dolorogenic,
   dolorous, dreary, excruciating, fretting, gnawing, grave, grievous,
   griping, harassing, hard, harmful, harrowing, harsh, heartbreaking,
   hurtful, hurting, injurious, joyless, lamentable, lethal, malefic,
   malevolent, malign, malignant, mischievous, mournful, moving,
   noisome, noxious, ominous, painful, paroxysmal, pathetic,
   pernicious, piercing, piteous, pitiable, plaguing, poignant,
   poisonous, prejudicial, pungent, racking, regrettable, rueful, sad,
   saddening, scatheful, severe, sharp, shooting, sore, sorrowful,
   spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, stabbing, stinging, tormenting,
   torturous, touching, toxic, troublesome, uncomfortable,
   unfortunate, upsetting, venenate, veneniferous, venenous, venomous,
   vicious, virulent, woebegone, woeful, worrisome, worrying,
   wretched

Distressing >> D Words
Distressing, definition of term: Distressing
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