5
miserable(adjective, painful, adverse)
4
deplorable
4
difficult(adjective, adverse)
4
disquieting(adjective, happy, pain, disturbing)
4
harrowing(adjective, painful)
4
lamentable
4
oppressive(adjective, painful)
4
poignant
4
sorrowful
4
tormenting(adjective, painful)
3
acute(adjective, painful)
3
annoying(adjective, painful)
3
anxious(adjective, disturbing)
3
bothersome(adjective, painful)
3
disastrous(adjective, adverse)
3
dismal
3
fraught
3
pathetic
3
piercing(adjective, painful)
3
troublous(adjective, happy, pain, disturbing)
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APASmart Define. (2015). distressful thesaurus. Retrieved September 27, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/distressful/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2015. "distressful thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/distressful/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 27, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2015, distressful thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 27 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/distressful/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "distressful thesaurus" 14 April 2015. Web. 27 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/distressful/thesaurus/synonyms>