Crossword Dictionary
DISTRESS
distress - v
to subject to great strain or difficulties
Synonyms
afflict, aggrieve, agonize, ail, bother, break, bug, depress, desolate, discombobulate, disquiet, disturb, dog, eat, get, grieve, harass, harry, hound, hurt, injure, irk, irritate, miff, nag, needle, oppress, pain, peeve, perplex, pester, plague, push, rack, sadden
Examples
She'll be armed, and I'm leaving her a distress beacon.
He remembered only the dull gray weather now rainy and now snowy, internal physical distress, and pains in his feet and side.
It was hard to believe he didn't understand the source of her distress, and yet he acted as though he was baffled.
Etymology
late 14c., distressen, "constrain or compel by pain, suffering, or other circumstances; harass," from Old French destresser "restrain, constrain; afflict, distress," from Vulgar Latin *districtiare "restraint, affliction, narrowness, distress," from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere "draw apart, hinder," also, in Medieval Latin "compel, coerce," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + stringere "draw tight, press together" (see strain (v.)).