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travail

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun travail contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of travail are drudgery, grind, labor, toil, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

In what contexts can drudgery take the place of travail?

The words drudgery and travail can be used in similar contexts, but drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When would grind be a good substitute for travail?

Although the words grind and travail have much in common, grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When is it sensible to use labor instead of travail?

While in some cases nearly identical to travail, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When could toil be used to replace travail?

The meanings of toil and travail largely overlap; however, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When might work be a better fit than travail?

The words work and travail are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

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 travail
Noun
Even acquiring a thermometer has become, in our modern times, a travail. Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2025 For all United’s ongoing travails, the Europa League offers a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Chris Weatherspoon, The Athletic, 18 Mar. 2025 George Michael’s travails deserve to be seen so clearly. Armond White, National Review, 10 Jan. 2025 To be sure, the travails of one single company do not speak for Asia's third-biggest economy. William Pesek, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for travail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travail
Noun
  • Kahle said that includes providing resources to participants for whom sharing experiences of intimate partner violence may cause trauma or mental health distress.
    Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Climate anxiety — emotional distress linked to the climate crisis — is already widespread.
    Brooke Kasl-Godley, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Selling Ownership While Still Holding The Reins Some company owners who have spent a lifetime building a business may be torn between fully enjoying the fruits of their labor and handing over control.
    Gerry Spitzer, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Vietnam, a rising manufacturing powerhouse, has seen a surge in Chinese investments in recent years as manufactures move supply chains out of China to take advantage of lower labor costs and hedge against US levies.
    Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The report underscores the urgent need for changes ensuring all women receive safe and equitable care during pregnancy and childbirth.
    Dominique Fluker, Essence, 16 Apr. 2025
  • Complications from pregnancy and childbirth are some of the leading causes of death for girls between the ages of 15 to 19 across the world, according to the WHO.
    Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech, The Hill, 13 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • And their struggling offense is becoming a major concern.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Now, nearly a month after signing, the Tucson, Arizona, native is finally back in the big leagues, thanks to the struggling Braves' desperation to fill their outfield slots.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • His experiences at Fuchu Prison left him with frostbite, screaming in agony, after being exposed to sub-zero temperatures during 20 days in solitary confinement.
    Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
  • What began as a blissful afternoon in the Florida sun ended in agony when a Jeep Wrangler suddenly barreled over a man lying on the beach, police said.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The removals mark Trump's latest effort to fire officials at independent regulatory agencies.
    Pete Schroeder, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Such efforts have already led to the restoration of funding in Republican districts following federal cuts that impacted farmers and rural areas.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • If a cell harbors many black morphogens, for example, and a neighboring cell harbors few of them, then the molecules strive to move such that they are distributed as evenly as possible.
    Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2025
  • The school could strive for excellence and integrity while doing fewer things.
    Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • But Season 2, by leaning so far into its characters’ anguish, has become more circular and suffocating in its storytelling.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Coogler attempts to out-scare Jordan Peele’s Get Out, using horror tropes to match the anguish expressed by the blues.
    Armond White, National Review, 18 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Travail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travail. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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