Word
racked
US/ˈɹækt/
UK/ɹˈækt/
Definition
adj. feeling a lot of physical or mental pain. You use this when something is very difficult or stressful to deal with.
adj. suffering from extreme physical or mental distress. Often used in the passive voice or as a participial adjective to describe a state of intense suffering or effort.
Examples
“He was racked with guilt after the accident.”
“The athlete's body was racked by exhaustion after she completed the mountain marathon.”
“The small nation was racked by internal conflict for decades before a stable peace treaty was finally negotiated by international mediators.”
Examples
simple
“He was racked with guilt after the accident.”
contextual
“The athlete's body was racked by exhaustion after she completed the mountain marathon.”
complex
“The small nation was racked by internal conflict for decades before a stable peace treaty was finally negotiated by international mediators.”
Usage
Commonly pairs with the preposition 'with' or 'by' to indicate the cause of the distress.
Pitfall
wracked with pain
racked with pain
While 'wracked' is increasingly common, 'racked' is the traditional spelling for being stretched or tortured by pain or effort.
Real-World Examples
“She was more than 1,500 miles away in Florida, USA - where she has lived for the last 15 years - and was racked with worry for family and friends.” “In 2021, mid-pandemic and with the team falling apart, Root racked up 1,708 runs - the most by any England batter in a calendar year.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/racked