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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Recent Examples of distraught
King is especially distraught in the season finale after learning that she'll be deposed again in a lawsuit against the ER — a suit and deposition that has burdened the doctor all season.
—
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
Police said the family has been fully cooperating, but understandably distraught.
—Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
The bride was left distraught and in tears.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
The singer added that when SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded in April 2023, the toddler was distraught.
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for distraught
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
Police said the family has been fully cooperating, but understandably distraught.
—Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
The bride was left distraught and in tears.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026
The singer added that when SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded in April 2023, the toddler was distraught.
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for distraught
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distraught
Adjective
-
The antipsychotic drug chlorpromazine, derived from a clothing dye called methylene blue, was first tested on agitated and delusional patients in 1952.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Trump has long agitated for changes at CNN, and few expect his Justice Department to block the transaction.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
So how worried should these teams be?—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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People that maybe have a more precarious position in the industry and are worried and see AI as a threat — which is absolutely valid — and younger people, younger actors and musicians.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Fetch Foster Rescue has taken in animals from households whose homes were completely destroyed, and the organization’s immediate focus is keeping those frightened pets as relaxed as possible while storm cleanup continues across the community.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Witnesses describe the dogs as frightened and wary rather than dangerous — a pair of scared animals looking for food, not a fight.—
Ryan Brennan
April 21,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As Gritty closed the gap on the fleeing pair, the camera switched to his face — the only sound being frantic footsteps and the clicking of his googly eyes.—
Ryan Brennan
April 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
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Federal investigators revealed new details about last month's deadly collision between a regional Air Canada jet and a Port Authority maintenance truck at LaGuardia Airport, including a frantic series of apparent miscommunications in the seconds prior to the crash.—
Clara McMichael,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There were a number of people who were very, very scared.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
From then on, no more physical abuse occurs in front of the camera, though there is tension in the air during many of Joe's scenes, as Michael is scared of standing up to his dad until the very end.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The key cabin crew are flight attendants Penny (Lucy Barrett) and Zoe (Na Shi), both of whom demonstrate bravery, to different ends, and show caring attention to the terrified children.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
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Though Ridley Scott works in a drastically different tone than the one John Carpenter brought to Dark Star, the two films share screenwriter Dan O’Bannon’s darkly comedic view of a future that has reduced humans to alternately bored and terrified cogs in larger machines.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The Brooklyn grandmom was upset that the women were allowing their dogs to defecate in an empty lot next to her property, her son told the Daily News at the time.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
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My mom was very upset that the inheritance was not divided up equally and asked me several times why my portion would be so much larger.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Distraught.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distraught. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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