as in weeping
expressing or suggesting mourning
an anguished cry the military's explanation of the accident did nothing to console the anguished widow
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to
she was anguished by the fear that her sons would die in the war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grieved
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
I anguished over the loss of my father for years afterwards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of anguished
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025
Her signature was the penetrating whisper, the ability to fluctuate volume within a single breath, bringing an anguished cry to a sound both thinly sympathetic and unbreakable at its core.
—Joshua Barone, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
At night, cries of coyotes left everyone concerned for the young cat family, and tragically one night a member of staff recalled hearing the anguished cries of the cats.
—Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
That look — eyes wide open in anguished disbelief — has become so familiar of late.
—Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for anguished
Adjective
There’s a certain seductive logic to the argument Hoult’s anguished protagonist makes for letting someone take the fall for his mistake.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025
Her signature was the penetrating whisper, the ability to fluctuate volume within a single breath, bringing an anguished cry to a sound both thinly sympathetic and unbreakable at its core.
—Joshua Barone, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
At night, cries of coyotes left everyone concerned for the young cat family, and tragically one night a member of staff recalled hearing the anguished cries of the cats.
—Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
That look — eyes wide open in anguished disbelief — has become so familiar of late.
—Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for anguished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguished
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
The mournful footnote to Hollywood or Bust is that off-set, the friendship between Martin and Lewis had already broken down irrevocably.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Definitely — but there’s a mournful resonance to that in a play where characters reach out so desperately and remain so trapped within themselves.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
For example, the same researchers at Cornell University who invented the new goggles have previously shown a reduction in blood flow in the brains of mice afflicted with the condition.—
Michael Franco,
New Atlas,
29 Dec. 2024
-
Terrified, the patient almost reflexively asked her surgeon to remove both of her breasts, even though the cancer afflicted only one side.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Also Thursday, people mourned eight Palestinians killed by Israeli military operations in and around the city of Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.—
Josef Federman and Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Dec. 2024
-
And yet, 32 games later, the transaction is barely mourned and hardly mentioned.—
John Romano,
Orlando Sentinel,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
In the original visual, the Grammy winner plays a heartbroken character named Peaches who has all traces of her ex wiped from her hippocampus, an homage to Michel Gondry’s 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
26 Mar. 2025
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Seven Oaks parents ‘heartbroken’ Five Seven Oaks parents reached out to the Statesman to express disappointment with the removal of the bulletin board.—
Rose Evans,
Idaho Statesman,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The funeral mass for Azcona will be held Friday at 10:30am at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
12 Mar. 2025
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On Wednesday, Israelis lined the streets to watch the funeral procession for Bibas and her two young sons, Kfir and Ariel, who were nine-months-old and 4 years old respectively when they were taken hostage with their mother, and whose bodies were also returned and identified last week.—
Hadeel Al-Shalchi,
NPR,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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To add to Ferrari’s woes, Hamilton was also disqualified from sixth as the rear skid block on his car failed to meet the minimum thickness requirement – a bitter pill to swallow for the Brit who had secured his first victory for the team in the sprint earlier in the weekend.—
Yara Elshebiny,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Some instant coffee is made with Robusta beans, which can be a bit bitter.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
After jumping out to a 9-2 start this season, the Phoenix Suns have sputtered over the past month as injuries have besieged their Big Three.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes,
26 Dec. 2024
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The wealthiest man in the world used his social media platform X to amplify the unrest, and GOP lawmakers were besieged with phone calls to their offices telling them to oppose the plan.—
Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking,
The Christian Science Monitor,
20 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Anguished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguished. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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