distressful

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

distressful
    adj 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}, {worrisome}, {worrying}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Distressful \Dis*tress"ful\, a.
   Full of distress; causing, indicating, or attended with,
   distress; as, a distressful situation. "Some distressful
   stroke." --Shak. "Distressful cries." --Pope.

   Syn: distressing.
        [1913 Webster] -- {Dis*tress"ful*ly}, adv.
        [1913 Webster]