English noun: distress | |||
1. | distress (feeling) psychological suffering | ||
Samples | The death of his wife caused him great distress. | ||
Synonyms | hurt, suffering | ||
Broader (hypernym) | pain, painfulness | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | anguish, self-torment, self-torture, torment, torture, tsoris, wound | ||
2. | distress (state) a state of adversity (danger or affliction or need) | ||
Samples | A ship in distress. She was the classic maiden in distress. | ||
Broader (hypernym) | adversity, hard knocks, hardship | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | anguish, pressure, throe | ||
3. | distress (state) extreme physical pain | ||
Samples | The patient appeared to be in distress. | ||
Broader (hypernym) | hurting, pain | ||
4. | distress (act) the seizure and holding of property as security for payment of a debt or satisfaction of a claim | ||
Samples | Originally distress was a landlord's remedy against a tenant for unpaid rents or property damage but now the landlord is given a landlord's lien. | ||
Synonyms | distraint | ||
Broader (hypernym) | seizure | ||
English verb: distress | |||
1. | distress (social) bring into difficulties or distress, especially financial hardship | ||
Synonyms | straiten | ||
Pattern of use | Something ----s somebody | ||
Broader (hypernym) | bother, discommode, disoblige, incommode, inconvenience, put out, trouble | ||
2. | distress (emotion) cause mental pain to | ||
Samples | The news of her child's illness distressed the mother. | ||
Examples | The bad news will distress him | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s somebody. Something ----s somebody | ||
Broader (hypernym) | disturb, trouble, upset | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | besiege | ||