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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
That pivot is in Alex’s sudden move toward becoming an amateur stand-up comic, using the stage and the microphone as therapy platforms for his anguish. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Oct. 2025 Nothing has surfaced to document her anguish. Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
Many times each day, and sometimes during the night, the old woman would bang on my door, anguished, calling out for her son: Peter, Peter! Miriam Toews september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025 Seeing how anguished her parents were, Angelica decided to do something about it. Kc Baker, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for anguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguish
Noun
  • Brown, 36, has filed portions of his April deposition in the civil court matter as part of his new request that the judge strike the housekeeper’s claims for intentional infliction of emotional distress and punitive damages from her lawsuit.
    Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Is an internalized fear of risk causing internal distress?
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • This grim reality evokes a sense of sorrow and powerlessness among women in Paina Bujurg.
    Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Critics have hailed his performance’s blend of warmth, humor and sorrow.
    Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The extravaganza was the first in years to enjoy the viewership on both TV and streaming that people come to expect of the event after a fallow period during which NBC was plagued by Asia time-slot challenges and the coronavirus pandemic, among other factors.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
  • When an unexpected event takes him back to his hometown, he is reunited with his mother and old friends but also confronted by the corruption that plagues his country, sparking a political awakening.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The acclaimed actors’ characters are brought together by geography in the eight-episode Netflix series in which Rhys’ Nile — previously suspected of killing his wife — moves in near Danes’ Wiggs, a grieving author.
    Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The 27-year-old is still grieving the loss of Stone, who died on March 1 at the age of 63 in a car crash in Alabama.
    Essence, Essence, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Aches and pains don’t compare to the agony of an unrealized dream.
    Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 13 Oct. 2025
  • But this specific take on the agony and the, well, extra helping of agony that parenthood often feels like is all hers.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Ari Aster's sophomore directorial effort might seem like another atmospheric cultish folk horror, but the film uses the genre as a symbolic journey for the overcoming of grief and shedding one life for another.
    Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Caregiver support groups and therapy have been essential in navigating my grief.
    David Oliver, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In Nazi Germany, transgender people were persecuted, barred from public life.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Blasphemy accusations have been used repeatedly to persecute Christians and other religious minorities in the country.
    Sean Nelson, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Smigiel’s right shoulder and elbow ached?
    Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • That contradiction of hope and aching despair goes beyond the music, running right through the roots of the show.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Anguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguish. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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