distressing

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Tinnitus can range from mildly irritating to severely distressing.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2026

Despite what a distressing number of credentialed Americans appear to think, antisemitism doesn’t burst onto the scene ex nihilo with pogroms and Nuremberg Laws.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

"This remains a deeply distressing matter," police commissioner Martin Dole told reporters.

From Barron's • May 3, 2026

This type of therapy teaches the brain how to manage responses to distressing obsessions and compulsions, which can often be life-changing.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Yet if it was distressing to him—he thought—how much more painful it would be to you!

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien