distressful vs distressing

distressful and distressing both are adjectives.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
distressful	No	Yes	No	No
distressing	No	Yes	No	No

As adjectives, distressful and distressing are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of distressful include disturbing, perturbing, troubling, worrisome, worrying.

distressful (adjective)	distressing (adjective)
causing distress or worry or anxiety	bad; unfortunate
	causing distress or worry or anxiety