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anguish

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word anguish different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of anguish are grief, regret, sorrow, and woe. While all these words mean "distress of mind," anguish suggests torturing grief or dread.

the anguish felt by the parents of the kidnapped child

When could grief be used to replace anguish?

The words grief and anguish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, grief implies poignant sorrow for an immediate cause.

the inexpressible grief of the bereaved parents

When can regret be used instead of anguish?

Although the words regret and anguish have much in common, regret implies pain caused by deep disappointment, fruitless longing, or unavailing remorse.

nagging regret for missed opportunities

When might sorrow be a better fit than anguish?

While the synonyms sorrow and anguish are close in meaning, sorrow implies a sense of loss or a sense of guilt and remorse.

a family united in sorrow upon the patriarch's death

When would woe be a good substitute for anguish?

The meanings of woe and anguish largely overlap; however, woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery.

cries of woe echoed throughout the bombed city

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of anguish
Noun
The kidnapping and deaths of Ms. Bibas and her young children have become a symbol of Israeli grief and anguish. Isabel Kershner, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025 So losing Roger just compounds the anguish over losing her brother. Max Gao, Variety, 22 Feb. 2025
Verb
Trump has won voters who once voted for FDR, and Democrats will anguish over how to get them back without alienating the other parts of their coalition, including women, young people and people of color. Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2024 So we’re anguished to see the GOP, the only viable alternative party to the Democratic Party, make this its final pitch. The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 29 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for anguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguish
Noun
  • While local authorities have since said the incident spawned from a physical altercation between two attendees, and that firearms were not involved, the resulting melee left at least 10 people with non-life-threatening injuries and numerous claiming emotion distress.
    Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Garcia’s damages included physical pain, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation, inconvenience, grief, disfigurement, physical impairment, anxiety and emotional distress, according to a recording of the verdict from Courtroom View Network.
    Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • In this moment of sorrow, my thoughts and those of the entire Formula 1 family are with his family and loved ones'.
    Dan Cancian, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
  • McIlroy expressed his sorrow and predicted that the 15-time major champion will be unable to play for the rest of the season.
    Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • McCaffery has a contract through the 2028 season, but with his program plagued by stagnant on-court performance and collapsing ticket sales, athletic director Beth Goetz could make a change.
    Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The global fishing industry has been plagued by labor abuses for years.
    Julie Watson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $29) Two grieving brothers come to terms with their history.
    The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025
  • With a tone that recalls Quentin Tarantino, The English tells the tale of a grieving mother (Emily Blunt) and a member of the Pawnee Nation (Chaske Spencer) who are forced into an allyship to survive a brutal journey.
    Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Just consider the agony of merging two or more sprawling thickets of technology.
    Forbes, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The death of this beautiful 12 year old girl and the agony of her mother and family touched our entire nation greatly.
    NPR, NPR, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Fox Valley Hands of Hope has provided grief support to adults, children and families in the area since 1981, with no charge for services, the release noted.
    Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Death Takes Me, instead, suggests that personal grief and political anger can find expression, too, through ambiguity and irony—and even laughter.
    Nicolás Medina Mora, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Rwanda has claimed the Tutsis are being persecuted by Hutus and former militias responsible for the 1994 genocide of 800,000 Tutsis and others in Rwanda.
    CHINEDU ASADU, arkansasonline.com, 17 Feb. 2025
  • Miller wrote the play as an allegory for McCarthyism, when the U.S. government persecuted people of being communists.
    Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • As Frank speaks, Rick is aching to satisfy his desire for revenge in what Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) correctly identifies as a ridiculous, Princess Bride-style plot to kill the man who killed his father.
    Judy Berman, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025
  • To them, his bruised, brooding ballads are a repository for all of those deeply intense feelings that blossom in early adulthood: first love, shattering heartbreak, throbbing loneliness, desperate regret, aching nostalgia.
    Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Anguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguish. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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