anguished

adjective

an·​guished ˈaŋ-gwisht 

1

: suffering anguish : tormented

the anguished martyrs

2

: expressing anguish : agonized

anguished cries

Synonyms

• aching
• agonized
• bemoaning
• bewailing
• bitter
• deploring
• doleful
• dolesome
• dolorous
• funeral
• grieving
• heartbroken
• lamentable
• lugubrious
• mournful
• plaintive
• plangent
• regretful
• rueful
• sorrowful
• sorry
• wailing
• weeping
• woeful

Examples of anguished in a Sentence

the military's explanation of the accident did nothing to console the anguished widow

Recent Examples on the Web

Park’s film was remade by Spike Lee in 2013, but that version didn’t come close to the anguished but often witty poetry of Park’s version. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 30 July 2024

Meanwhile, Noe’s anxious camera emphasizes their increasing disorientation and anguished confusion. —Dennis Perkins and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 5 July 2024

House Democrats spent their Friday morning huddling on the floor in hushed, anguished conversations about President Joe Biden's debate performance. —Benjamin Siegel, ABC News, 28 June 2024

Lowrey marries his physical therapist, Christine (Melanie Liburd, who spends much of the film as a battered, anguished hostage); Tasha Smith replaces Theresa Randle as Burnett’s wife, Theresa. —Michael Phillips, Twin Cities, 7 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English anguysched, from past participle of anguischen "to anguish entry 2"

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1