452 entries under adjective topic. ×

5
blue(sad, unhappy, sorrow, suffer)
5
disconcerting(hard, severe, offensive, awkward)
5
dispiriting(obscure, sad, unhappy, dark)
5
fearful(bad, terrible, wicked, dreadful)
5
frightening(hard, severe, offensive, upsetting)
5
gloomy(hard, severe, offensive, awful)
5
grave
5
heart-rending(awful, terrible, miserable, shocking)
5
intense(moving, wicked, emotional, touching)
5
joyless(mean, low, sad, pain)
5
moving(mean, low, sad, miserable)
5
nerve-wracking
5
onerous(hard, severe, rough, difficult)
5
serious(tough, severe, rough, difficult)
5
touching(mean, moving, low, sad)
5
vicious(unpleasant, wicked, painful)
4
aggrieved(hurt, angry, sore, dispiritedness)
4
alarming(hard, severe, offensive, upsetting)
4
appalling(bad, awful, terrible, shocking)
4
catastrophic(sad, unhappy, awful, terrible)
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APASmart Define. (2015). distressing thesaurus. Retrieved September 25, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/distressing/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2015. "distressing thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/distressing/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 25, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2015, distressing thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 25 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/distressing/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "distressing thesaurus" 3 August 2015. Web. 25 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/distressing/thesaurus/synonyms>