31
grievous(adjective, mean, tough, severe, rough)
26
sad(adjective, unhappy, sorrow, suffer, pain)
24
agonizing(verb, adjective, painful, sickness, ache)
24
painful(adjective, moving, tough, severe, rough)
24
upsetting(adjective, hard, moving, severe, happy)
22
deplorable(adjective, sad, pain, unhappy, sorrow)
22
severe(adjective, tough, difficult, harsh, tender)
20
disturbing(adjective, hard, moving, severe, happy)
20
lamentable(adjective, sad, pain, unhappy, sorrow)
18
distressful(adjective, happy, pain, disturbing)
16
worrisome(adjective, hard, severe, happy, pain)
16
worrying(adjective, hard, severe, offensive, uncertain)
15
awful(adjective, bad, severe, sad, tender)
15
harrowing(adjective, tender, offensive, miserable, wretched)
15
terrible(adjective, severe, difficult, sad, tender)
15
troublesome(adjective, severe, rough, happy, difficult)
14
excruciating(adjective, painful, sickness, ache, anguishes)
14
stressful(adjective, state, feeling, stress)
13
depressing(adjective, hard, obscure, sad, pain)
13
hurtful(adjective, severe, tender, unpleasant, awful)
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APASmart Define. (2015). Distressing thesaurus. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/distressing/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2015. "Distressing thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/distressing/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2015, Distressing thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/distressing/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "Distressing thesaurus" 3 August 2015. Web. 20 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/distressing/thesaurus/synonyms>