emotional distress
nounUK /ɪˈməʊʃənl dɪˈstres/
US /ɪˈmoʊʃənl dɪˈstres/
A very sad or worried feeling inside that hurts your heart.
After losing his dog, he felt a lot of emotional distress.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A legal term for serious mental suffering caused by someone else's actions.
The court said the accident caused her emotional distress.
3. Strong feelings of fear or panic that make it hard to think clearly.
The loud storm gave the little boy emotional distress.
4. The unhappy feeling you get when something important goes wrong.
Failing the test caused him emotional distress for days.