The difference between Distressed and Sad

When used as adjectives, distressed means anxious or uneasy, whereas sad means feeling sorrow.

check bellow for the other definitions of Distressed and Sad

Distressed as an adjective:

anxious or uneasy

Examples:

"I'm distressed that John hasn't answered my calls. I hope nothing bad happened to him on the way here."
Distressed as an adjective (of merchandise, etc.):

damaged
Distressed as an adjective (of a property):

offered for sale after foreclosure
Distressed as an adjective (of furniture, etc.):

faded or abused in order to appear old, or antique

Sad as an adjective:

Emotionally negative. Feeling sorrow; sorrowful, mournful. Appearing sorrowful. Causing sorrow; lamentable. Poor in quality, bad; shameful, deplorable; later, regrettable, poor. Of colours: dark, deep; later, sombre, dull.

Examples:

"She gets sad when he's away."

"The puppy had a sad little face."

"It's a sad fact that most rapes go unreported."

"That's the saddest-looking pickup truck I've ever seen."
Sad as an adjective (obsolete):

Sated, having had one's fill; satisfied, weary.
Sad as an adjective (obsolete):

Steadfast, valiant.
Sad as an adjective (obsolete):

Dignified, serious, grave.
Sad as an adjective (obsolete):

Naughty; troublesome; wicked.
Sad as an adjective (slang):

Unfashionable; socially inadequate or undesirable.

Examples:

"I can't believe you use drugs; you're so sad!"
Sad as an adjective (dialect):

Soggy (to refer to pastries).
Sad as an adjective (obsolete):

Heavy; weighty; ponderous; close; hard.

Examples:

"sad bread"