distress
/dɪˈstɹɛs/noun
Middle School
1
Physical or emotional discomfort, suffering, or alarm, particularly of a more acute nature.
2
A cause of such discomfort.
3
Serious danger.
4
An aversive state of stress to which a person cannot fully adapt.
5
A seizing of property without legal process to force payment of a debt.
6
The thing taken by distraining; that which is seized to procure satisfaction.
Thesaurus
Sound Patterns & Rhymes
Alliteration
Words starting with the same consonant sound — used in poetry and prose to create rhythm, emphasis, and memorable phrasing (e.g. “Peter Piper picked”)
Assonance
Words sharing similar vowel sounds regardless of starting letter — creates internal melody in writing