as in agitated
feeling overwhelming fear or worry
distraught relatives waiting to learn whether there were any survivors of the plane crash
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distraught
Wilson, the Memphis musician who is Black, was less distraught by the carving up of his neighborhood for partisan purposes.
—
ABC News, 9 May 2026
Ethington, the student who saw the pressureless brakes fall flat and a reflection of the driver’s distraught face, visited him in the weeks after.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Jerrod's fingers are cut off before he's impaled in front of a crowd, including a distraught Kitana.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 9 May 2026
His widow, Erika Kirk, was at this weekend’s dinner, visibly distraught as she was escorted out in her sequined cream dress.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for distraught
ABC News, 9 May 2026
Ethington, the student who saw the pressureless brakes fall flat and a reflection of the driver’s distraught face, visited him in the weeks after.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Jerrod's fingers are cut off before he's impaled in front of a crowd, including a distraught Kitana.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 9 May 2026
His widow, Erika Kirk, was at this weekend’s dinner, visibly distraught as she was escorted out in her sequined cream dress.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for distraught
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distraught
Adjective
-
This tiny bird was alone and agitated.—
Lisa Hughes,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
Unproductively, in the confines of the smaller-scale Fyda-Mar stage, the discordant sensory barrage director Oanh Nguyen brings to bear landed on at least one theatergoer as an agitated, irritating distraction.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Reformers were worried that putting more money into the hands of local school districts, without oversight to ensure that it was being spent effectively, would lead to its diversion into administration and more generous union contracts rather than hands-on instruction for kids who needed it most.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
-
Yu said that, as China has strengthened its social safety net, people are less worried about having to rely on others.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Americans in that Nebraska unit are isolated and frightened.—
Craig Spencer,
STAT,
13 May 2026
-
While one held the frightened animal’s head, the other — wearing a sweatshirt with an image of the Virgin Mary — applied the iron to a horn.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
The burgundy and blue showed up with the same lineup as Monday night in Minnesota and looked completely different until an active second period and frantic final four minutes in the third to tie the score after an icing call created a margin for a comeback.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
14 May 2026
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This week, The Athletic is putting the focus on what promises to be another frantic summer transfer window for Liverpool.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
But Wednesday night, they were handed a harsh lesson from a true contender — one that smelled blood against a team that cowered and played scared to death from the 20-minute mark on.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
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If nothing else, the manager is box office entertainment and will not be scared to stamp his authority on what seems like a club in crisis.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
They are lost in the abyss of the deep ocean, unable to recognize themselves or their surroundings, overwhelmed and terrified.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
But there were no loud gasps or terrified screams during the screening.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
If the Cavaliers pull the Game 7 upset, Game 1 will play out at Madison Square Garden.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2026
-
Away to a Newcastle team that has won just one of their last six league matches and has little to play for at this stage of a disappointing season, there could be an opportunity for West Ham to cause an upset.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Distraught.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distraught. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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