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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to plague
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 to grieve
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
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
Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2025
Days full of anguish Thousands of miles away from the ICE detention facility in Michigan, Aurelquis Gómez visits her nephew Noah often.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
But instead of preparing for this moment – the birth of her fifth child – she's anguished about her husband Miguel Angel Garcia-Hernandez.
—Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anguish
Noun
That mindset is a result of the mental exhaustion and anguish of their postseason drought, which is speeding toward a full decade and represents the longest current stretch in the NBA.
—Verb
Diddy’s anguished plea for mercy.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguish
Noun
-
The plaintiff seeks damages for privacy invasion, emotional distress, reputational harm and alleged placement on government watch lists.—
-
The initial wave of relief soon lifted, giving way to distress when Franco learned his home was uninhabitable.—
Noun
-
Death, fear, and sorrow unify the disparate practices.—
-
But grief will give you so much more than sorrow.—
Verb
-
And then stop the organizational dysfunction, which has plagued the team for years.—
-
The program, plagued from the outset by cost overruns and delays, was paused by the ICC at the end of 2023 to conduct an investigation into the best path forward after the surcharge expired.—
Verb
-
According to a new Daily Mail report, Reiner’s grieving siblings, Jake and Romy, are not inclined to support any attempt by their brother to lessen his criminal responsibility for their parents’ murder.—
-
Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her husband Ivara Esege, MD, are grieving an unimaginable loss.—
Noun
-
The dramatic arc of the film’s first half — filled with the ecstasy of God’s embrace and the agony of imprisonment — is told through musical numbers, adapted from the Shakers’ ecstatic worship, dance, hymns, and music (watch the video above to learn more).—
-
One year before Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire published their compendium of Greek myths, Cicellis released her second work of fiction, The Way to Colonos, which ruthlessly dramatizes the limits of individual freedom and the agony of facing one’s powerlessness.—
Noun
-
Ege, a 31-year-old special education teacher, ended up reaching out to the group Families for Safe Streets, whose members showed up at their apartment shortly after Musyoka’s death to help them through those initial days and weeks of grief.—
-
We’re largely left to imagine her fears for an uncertain future, her grief for an unknown, unborn child and her thoughts on becoming a symbolic figure in the outside world, with another woman’s name to boot.—
Verb
-
Open Doors is a global Christian charity supporting Christians persecuted for their faith.—
-
Most commonly, people felt they were being persecuted via their electronics – that their Wi-Fi networks, computers or cellphones had been hacked or implanted with tracking devices.—
Verb
-
That’s why our hearts are aching over his death at 78.—
-
Partnership conversations shift as Venus (in your 7th House of Collaborations) nudges aching Chiron, encouraging clear requests and brave listening across family or professional bonds.—
Cite this Entry
“Anguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguish. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share