distressingly
3
6.5
- adverb
- /dɪˈstrɛsɪŋli/
:
angustiosamente
- Today, uncertainty is distressingly the norm.
Examples
-
Distressingly, there have been many high-profile cases of severe and horrific abuse of children in recent years.
Academic text (2014) -
The discovery was distressingly casual.
Fiction book (1999) -
Progress towards improved water quality is, however, distressingly slow.
Academic text (2007) -
Most distressingly, there seems to be no one in either novel who objects to or who can counter the violence.
Academic text (2018) -
I think I was distressingly oblivious.
-
Freeman had reached the end of a distressingly short list of things to try.
Fiction book (1996) -
First, simple misunderstandings of basic content were distressingly common, even among professional evolutionists.
Academic text (1992) -
Perhaps most distressingly of all, there has been little progress in assisting rape survivors, let alone convicting those responsible.
Academic text (2005) -
The constant delays and cancellations were distressingly frustrating for the passengers.
-
She found the news distressingly upsetting and couldn't bear to think about it.
Synonyms
106
3.7
In a way that causes physical or emotional pain
26
3.4
In a way that makes a person feel uncomfortable or awkward
14
5.4
In a way that makes people feel worried or afraid
14
5.3
In a way that makes you feel worried or uneasy
5
4.1
In a way that makes you feel sad or hopeless
4
7.4
In a way that causes very strong physical pain or deep worry
3
5.1
In a way that makes people feel very sad
1
7.5
In a way that makes people feel uneasy or confused
1
6.6
In a way that feels heavy and makes you uncomfortable
1
5.0
In a way that makes people worried or upset
1
7.0
In a way that makes you feel worried or nervous
1
5.1
In a way that makes someone feel sad or worried
1
7.5
In a way that makes people feel surprised and upset
1
7.4
In a way that makes you feel disappointed and lose hope
1
4.0
In a worried or nervous way
1
8.8
In a way that causes great fear or pain
In a way that makes people feel nervous or unsure
In a way that causes someone a lot of pain or worry
Antonyms
How Distressing
Surface Forms
Morphology
distressingly = distressing (transparent) = distress + ing + ly
Formed regularly from 'distress' -> 'distressing' (causing distress) + '-ly' to make an adverb, so the meaning is directly predictable.
Etymology
Distressingly comes from distress, which originally meant being 'pulled tight' or kept in a 'narrow' place and is related to the idea of stress. So when something is distressingly clear or frequent, it causes strong worry or unhappiness.