distressed

[dih-strest] /dɪˈstrɛst/
adjective
1.
affected with or suffering from distress.
2.
(of merchandise or property for sale) damaged, out-of-date, or used.
3.
(of real estate) foreclosed and offered for sale.
4.
(of furniture) purposely blemished or marred so as to give an antique appearance.
5.
(of fabric) made or processed to appear faded or wrinkled, as if from long, steady use:
Our best-selling jeans are the ones in distressed denim.
Origin
1580-90; distress + -ed2
Related forms
distressedly
[dih-stres-id-lee, -strest-lee] /dɪˈstrɛs ɪd li, -ˈstrɛst li/ (Show IPA), adverb
distressedness, noun
quasi-distressed, adjective
undistressed, adjective

distress

[dih-stres] /dɪˈstrɛs/
noun
1.
great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble.
2.
a state of extreme necessity or misfortune.
3.
the state of a ship or airplane requiring immediate assistance, as when on fire in transit.
4.
that which causes pain, suffering, trouble, danger, etc.
5.
liability or exposure to pain, suffering, trouble, etc.; danger:
a damsel in distress.
6.
Law.
  1. the legal seizure and detention of the goods of another as security or satisfaction for debt, etc.; the act of distraining.
  2. the thing seized in distraining.
7.
to dent, scratch, or stain (furniture, lumber, or the like) so as to give an appearance of age.
adjective
8.
afflicted with or suffering distress:
distress livestock; distress wheat.
9.
caused by or indicative of distress or hardship:
distress prices; distress borrowing.
verb (used with object)
10.
to afflict with great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; trouble; worry; bother.
11.
to subject to pressure, stress, or strain; embarrass or exhaust by strain:
to be distressed by excessive work.
12.
to compel by pain or force of circumstances:
His suffering distressed him into committing suicide.
Origin
1250-1300; (noun) Middle English destresse < Anglo-French distresse, destresse, Old French < Vulgar Latin *districtia, equivalent to Latin district(us) (see district) + -ia -y3; (v.) Middle English destressen < Anglo-French destresser (Old French destrecier), derivative of the noun
Related forms
distressingly, adverb
predistress, noun, verb (used with object)
Synonyms
1. agony, anguish, adversity, tribulation. See sorrow. 2. need, destitution.
Antonyms
1. comfort.
Examples from the web for distressed
  • Vulture funds are investment firms that buy securities of distressed companies and overleveraged countries.
  • After years of double-digit gains, college endowments are feeling the pinch from distressed financial markets.
  • Many private-equity firms and vulture funds with a longer history are, however, loth to buy distressed technology businesses.
  • Grace stood silently, appearing interested but not distressed.
  • Why don't they ask people if they are distressed at the idea of hallucinating.
  • Leave your puppy unattended for long enough and it'll become so filthy and distressed that it'll run away.
  • The distressed building has recently changed hands again.
  • Many of us are distressed by the lack of adequate tax revenues to fund the good things the government does.
  • While highly successful as buyers of distressed debt, the investors have no experience running a specialty retailer.
  • Some were morose, wringing their hands, visibly distressed over the process.
British Dictionary definitions for distressed

distressed

/dɪˈstrɛst/
adjective
1.
much troubled; upset; afflicted
2.
in financial straits; poor
3.
(of furniture, fabric, etc) having signs of ageing artificially applied
4.
(economics) another word for depressed (sense 4)

distress

/dɪˈstrɛs/
verb (transitive)
1.
to cause mental pain to; upset badly
2.
(usually passive) to subject to financial or other trouble
3.
to damage (esp furniture), as by scratching or denting it, in order to make it appear older than it is
4.
(law) a less common word for distrain
5.
(archaic) to compel
noun
6.
mental pain; anguish
7.
the act of distressing or the state of being distressed
8.
physical or financial trouble
9.
in distress, (of a ship, aircraft, etc) in dire need of help
10.
(law)
  1. the seizure and holding of property as security for payment of or in satisfaction of a debt, claim, etc; distraint
  2. the property thus seized
  3. (US) (as modifier): distress merchandise
Derived Forms
distressful, adjective
distressfully, adverb
distressfulness, noun
distressing, adjective, noun
distressingly, adverb
Word Origin
C13: from Old French destresse distress, via Vulgar Latin, from Latin districtus divided in mind; see distrain
Word Origin and History for distressed
adj.

past participle adjective from distress. In reference to furniture, by 1940.

distress

n.

late 13c., "circumstance that causes anxiety or hardship," from Old French destresse, from Vulgar Latin *districtia "restraint, affliction, narrowness, distress," from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere "draw apart, hinder," also, in Medieval Latin "compel, coerce," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + stringere "draw tight, press together" (see strain (v.)). Meaning "anguish, suffering; grief" is from c.1300.

v.

late 14c., from Old French destresser, from Vulgar Latin *districtiare (see distress (n.)). Related: Distressed; distressing.

distressed in Medicine

distress dis·tress (dĭ-strěs')
n.

  1. Mental or physical suffering or anguish.

  2. Severe strain resulting from exhaustion or trauma.

dis·tress' adj.
Encyclopedia Article for distressed

distress

in law, process that enables a person to seize and detain from a wrongdoer some chattel, or item of personal property, as a pledge for the redressing of an injury, the performance of a duty, or the satisfaction of a demand. Distress was frequently levied without legal process, but requirements have become more stringent and now often necessitate some type of court action.

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