distressing vs sad

distressing and sad both are adjectives.

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

As adjectives, distressing and sad are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of distressing include deplorable, lamentable, pitiful, sorry.

distressing (adjective)	sad (adjective)
bad; unfortunate	experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
causing distress or worry or anxiety	bad; unfortunate
	of things that make you feel sad