Question 1 · Quick check
distress
CEFRC1
/dɪˈstɹɛs/
noun · verb
Türkçe translations
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In plain English
- 01
noun
Extreme worry, sadness, or pain.
- 02
verb
To cause someone great worry, sadness, or pain.
Examples
Famine caused great distress among the people.
Many people were plunged into distress by the news.
At a glance
Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 5
- Parts of speech
- 2
- Citations
- 5
- Synonyms
- 5
Deep Dive
noun
Extra meaningsA cause of such discomfort.
Serious danger.
Physical or emotional discomfort, suffering, or alarm, particularly of a more acute nature.
More examples
In contextThe newspaper article caused the actor considerable distress.
She distressed the new media cabinet so that it fit with the other furniture in the room.
a pair of distressed jeans
Related
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
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Nearby
Origin
noun
The verb is from Middle English distressen, from Old French destrecier (“to restrain, constrain, put in straits, afflict, distress”); compare French détresse. Ultimately from Medieval Latin as if *districtiō, an assumed frequentative form of Latin distringō (“to pull asunder, stretch out”), from dis- (“apart”) + stringō (“to draw tight, strain”). The noun is from Middle English distresse, from Old French destrece, ultimately also from Latin distringō.