Meaning & use
distraught
Last updated
UK/dɪˈstrɔːt/
US/dɪˈstrɔːt/
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
So upset and anxious that you cannot think or act calmly.
Grammar: Often after a verb, sometimes with at, over or about: distraught at the news.
Patterns
- distraught at something
- distraught over something
- distraught about something
The distraught mother searched the park for her lost child.
He was distraught when he heard the news.
Fans were distraught over the cancellation.
Word forms
| comparative | more distraught |
|---|---|
| superlative | most distraught |
Common combinations
- distraught parents
- Distraught parents waited outside the hospital.
- visibly distraught
- She was visibly distraught after the accident.
- distraught at
- He was distraught at the loss.
- become distraught
- The child became distraught when his dog ran off.
Synonyms and how they differ
- anguished
- Stresses deep pain over a loss.
- frantic
- Stresses wild, hurried activity from worry.
- upset
- Much weaker and everyday.
- devastated
- Stresses being crushed by bad news.
Opposites
Word family
- distract verb
- to draw attention away
- distraction noun
- something that takes attention away; extreme worry (old use)
Commonly confused: distraught or distracted?
distraught vs distracted
Distracted means not paying attention; distraught means extremely upset.
Practice
The ___ owner called every neighbor after his dog went missing.
Choose one answer.
Distraught means extremely upset. Distracted only means attention is elsewhere.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “distraught”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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