6
unhappy(adjective, sad, offensive, unpleasant, sorrow)
6
vexatious(adjective, hard, severe, sharp, rough)
6
vexing(adjective, hard, severe, offensive, upsetting)
5
bleak(adjective, tough, severe, obscure, harsh)
5
blue(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrow, suffer)
5
comfortless(mean, low, pain, wretched, pitiful)
5
disconcerting(adjective, hard, severe, offensive, awkward)
5
dispiriting(adjective, obscure, sad, unhappy, dark)
5
fearful(adjective, bad, terrible, wicked, dreadful)
5
frightening(adjective, hard, severe, offensive, upsetting)
5
gloomy(adjective, hard, severe, offensive, awful)
5
grave
5
heart-rending(adjective, awful, terrible, miserable, shocking)
5
intense(adjective, moving, wicked, emotional, touching)
5
joyless(adjective, mean, low, sad, pain)
5
moving(adjective, mean, low, sad, miserable)
5
nerve-wracking
5
onerous(adjective, hard, severe, rough, difficult)
5
serious(adjective, tough, severe, rough, difficult)
5
touching(adjective, mean, moving, low, sad)
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APASmart Define. (2015). distressing thesaurus. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/distressing/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2015. "distressing thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/distressing/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 22, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2015, distressing thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/distressing/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "distressing thesaurus" 3 August 2015. Web. 22 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/distressing/thesaurus/synonyms>