4
virulent(adjective, wicked)
4
weighty(adjective, hurt, angry, sore, dispiritedness)
4
woebegone(adjective, sad, unhappy, miserable, wretched)
4
wounding(verb, adjective, awful, terrible, cruel)
3
aggravating(adjective, offensive, shocking, upsetting, irritating)
3
atrocious(adjective, bad, awful, terrible, wicked)
3
baneful(harmful, damaging)
3
chafing(verb, paining)
3
climacteric
3
cramping(verb, paining)
3
dark
3
daunting
3
depressive
3
despicable(adjective, mean, poor, low, miserable)
3
disappointing(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrow, suffer)
3
disconsolate(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrowful, somber)
3
down(adjective, sad, unhappy, sorrow, suffer)
3
forlorn(adjective, poor, sad, unhappy, miserable)
3
galling(adjective, hard, severe, rough, harsh)
3
horrifying(adjective, unpleasant, awful, terrible, disgusting)
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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>