great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble.

a state of extreme necessity or misfortune.

the state of a ship or airplane requiring immediate assistance, as when on fire in transit.

that which causes pain, suffering, trouble, danger, etc.

liability or exposure to pain, suffering, trouble, etc.; danger

a damsel in distress.

Law .

the legal seizure and detention of the goods of another as security or satisfaction for debt, etc.; the act of distraining.

the thing seized in distraining.

to dent, scratch, or stain (furniture, lumber, or the like) so as to give an appearance of age.

afflicted with or suffering distress

distress livestock; distress wheat.

caused by or indicative of distress or hardship

distress prices; distress borrowing.

to afflict with great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; trouble; worry; bother.

to subject to pressure, stress, or strain; embarrass or exhaust by strain

to be distressed by excessive work.

to compel by pain or force of circumstances

His suffering distressed him into committing suicide.

noun

comfort , happiness , health , pleasure , advantage , benefit , miracle

verb

assist , calm , comfort , help , soothe

noun

ache , affliction , anguish , anxiety , bad news * , blues * , care , concern , cross , dejection , desolation , disappointment , discomfort , disquietude , dolor , embarrassment , grief , headache , heartache , heartbreak , irritation , malaise , misery , mortification , ordeal , pang , perplexity , sadness , shame , sorrow , stew , suffering , throe , torment , torture , trial , tribulation , trouble , twinge , unconsolability , unhappiness , vexation , visitation , woe , worriment , worry , wretchedness , bad luck , bummer * , calamity , can of worms * , catastrophe , crunch * , destitution , difficulty , disaster , downer * , drag * , exigency , hard knocks * , hard time , holy mess , hot water , indigence , jam * , misfortune , need , pickle * , pinch * , poverty , privation , rigor , rotten luck , scrape * , straits , ticklish spot , tough break , tough luck , unholy mess , vicissitude , want , angst , anxiousness , disquiet , nervousness , solicitude , unease , uneasiness , agony , hurt , pain , wound , exigence , adversity , dysphoria , mayday , psychalgia

verb

afflict , aggrieve , agonize , ail , be on one’s case , bother , break , bug , burn up , depress , desolate , discombobulate , disquiet , disturb , do a number on , dog * , eat * , get * , get to * , give a hard time , grieve , harass , harry , hound , hurt , injure , irk , irritate , make it tough for , miff , nag , needle , nit-pick , oppress , pain , peeve , perplex , pester , pick on , plague , push , push buttons , rack , sadden , strain , strap , stress , tick off * , torment , torture , trouble , try , vex , weigh , wound , cark , concern , adversity , affliction , anger , anguish , annoy , anxiety , calamity , constrain , constraint , danger , discomfort , distrain , distraught , dolor , grief , heartbreak , misery , necessity , need , soreness , sorrow , suffer , suffering , travail , tribulation , upset , woe , worry