Distress vs Alarm - What's the difference?
distress | alarm | Related terms |
(Cause of) discomfort.
* {{quote-book
, year=1833
, author=John Trusler
, title=The Works of William Hogarth: In a Series of Engravings
, chapter=8
Serious danger.
* {{quote-book
, year=1719
, author=Daniel Defoe
, title=Robinson Crusoe
, chapter=13
* {{quote-book
, year=1759
, author=Voltaire
, title=Candide
, chapter=42
(legal) A seizing of property without legal process to force payment of a debt.
(legal) The thing taken by distraining; that which is seized to procure satisfaction.
* Spenser
* Blackstone
To cause strain or anxiety to someone.
* {{quote-book
, year=1827
, author=Stendhal
, title=Armance
, chapter=31
(legal) To retain someone’s property against the payment of a debt; to distrain.
*
To treat an object, such as an antique, to give it an appearance of age.
A summons to arms, as on the approach of an enemy.
Any sound or information intended to give notice of approaching danger; a warning sound to arouse attention; a warning of danger.
A sudden attack; disturbance.
* Shakespeare
* Alexander Pope
Sudden surprise with fear or terror excited by apprehension of danger; in the military use, commonly, sudden apprehension of being attacked by surprise.
A mechanical device for awaking people, or rousing their attention.
An instance of an alarum ringing or clanging, to give a noise signal at a certain time.
To call to arms for defense
To give (someone) notice of approaching danger
To rouse to vigilance and action; to put on the alert.
To surprise with apprehension of danger; to fill with anxiety in regard to threatening evil; to excite with sudden fear.
To keep in excitement; to disturb.
As nouns the difference between distress and alarm
is that distress is (Cause of) discomfort while alarm is a summons to arms, as on the approach of an enemy.As verbs the difference between distress and alarm
is that distress is to cause strain or anxiety to someone while alarm is to call to arms for defense.distress
English
Noun
(-)citation, passage=To heighten his distress , he is approached by his wife, and bitterly upbraided for his perfidy in concealing from her his former connexions (with that unhappy girl who is here present with her child, the innocent offspring of her amours, fainting at the sight of his misfortunes, being unable to relieve him farther), and plunging her into those difficulties she never shall be able to surmount.}}
citation, passage=I immediately considered that this must be some ship in distress , and that they had some comrade, or some other ship in company, and fired these gun for signals of distress, and to obtain help.}}
citation, passage=At length they perceived a little cottage; two persons in the decline of life dwelt in this desert, who were always ready to give every assistance in their power to their fellow-creatures in distress .}}
- If he were not paid, he would straight go and take a distress of goods and cattle.
- The distress thus taken must be proportioned to the thing distrained for.
Verb
(es)citation, passage=She respects me, no doubt, but has no longer any passionate feeling for me, and my death will distress her without plunging her in despair.}}
- She distressed the new media cabinet so that it fit with the other furniture in the room.
External links
* * *alarm
English
Alternative forms
* alarumNoun
- ''Arming to answer in a night alarm . --Shakespeare.
- ''Sound an alarm in my holy mountain. --Joel ii. 1.
- these home alarms
- thy palace fill with insults and alarms
- ''Alarm and resentment spread throughout the camp. --.
- ''The clockradio is a friendlier version of the cold alarm by the bedside
- ''You should set the alarm on your watch to go off at seven o'clock.