# distressing

/dɪˈstɹɛsɪŋ/ (US) · /dɪstɹˈɛsɪŋ/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Adjective

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/distressing
Updated: 2026-05-07

## Definition

causing you to feel very worried, upset, or sad. You use this to describe news, images, or situations that are hard to deal with emotionally.

For teachers: causing significant emotional pain, anxiety, or sorrow. Often used to describe external stimuli like news or imagery; frequently follows linking verbs such as 'find' or 'be'.

## Examples

- The news about the accident was very distressing.
- The charity decided not to show the most distressing images during the daytime television broadcast.
- Witnessing the rapid decline of the historic district was deeply distressing to the residents who had spent decades maintaining their ancestral homes.

## Pitfalls

- Not "I am very distressing about the news" but "I am very distressed about the news" — Learners often confuse the -ing adjective (the cause of the feeling) with the -ed adjective (the person experiencing the feeling).

## Usage notes

- Often modified by degree adverbs like 'deeply', 'highly', or 'extremely'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.