adjective
distraught
dihs-TRAWT
adjective
1
Extremely upset, worried, or overwhelmed with emotion.
"She was distraught after hearing the news."
"The distraught parents searched the crowd for their child."
How to Use Distraught
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSo upset or distressed that you can barely function.
Common mistake
Stronger than just "sad" or "worried" — distraught implies being almost overwhelmed by emotion.
Common pairings
distraught over
distraught parents
left distraught
Word Forms
more distraught comparative, most distraught superlative
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Etymology
From Middle English distraught, a blend of distract (in an older sense meaning "pulled apart mentally") and straught, an old past participle of stretch — so originally something like "stretched to breaking point."