1. causing distress or worry or anxiety - distressing (or disturbing) news - lived in heroic if something distressful isolation - a disturbing amount of crime - a revelation that was most perturbing - a new and troubling thought - in a particularly worrisome predicament - a worrying situation - a worrying time • Syn: distressing, distressful, disturbing, perturbing, troubling, worrying • Similar to: heavy • Derivationally related forms: distressfulness (for: distressful) 2. not reassuring; tending to cause anxiety • Syn: unreassuring • Ant: reassuring (for: unreassuring) • Attrubites: reassurance
