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
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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
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of anguish
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 21 May 2025
Cuts in any of these areas could leave many state residents in desperate straits and inflict anguish on those who are worried about drastic cuts in environmental protection and public safety.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2025
John Yoon, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024
Abraham Lincoln hated the death penalty and anguished over every case in which he was asked to commute it.
—The Editors, National Review, 16 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for anguish
Noun
That core, in Alpha, has to do with the anguish of trying to save someone from themselves.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 21 May 2025
Cuts in any of these areas could leave many state residents in desperate straits and inflict anguish on those who are worried about drastic cuts in environmental protection and public safety.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2025
Verb
South Korean officials on Monday began the slow, painstaking process of piecing together the many body parts found in the wreckage after the country’s worst plane crash in decades, as hundreds of relatives, waiting to receive the victims’ bodies, grew more anguished by the hour.
—John Yoon, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024
Abraham Lincoln hated the death penalty and anguished over every case in which he was asked to commute it.
—The Editors, National Review, 16 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for anguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguish
Noun
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The report highlights research on young adults that shows that trans students who participate in collegiate sports are less likely to experience distress, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
-
That places an onerous burden on Henson, doing her considerable best trying to sustain a role whose Job-like travails crank the distress level to 11 too soon.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
6 June 2025
Noun
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To date, the Facebook post about her story has garnered more than 19,000 reactions, sparking a wave of sorrow and outrage from animal lovers across the country.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 June 2025
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Prefaced by a host of personal disasters—the death of her mother’s onetime partner Mary Norcross, her own hospitalization for digestive problems, her mother’s painful shingles and neuralgia—the decade of the 1940s brought sorrow.—
Susan Gubar
June 9,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2025
Verb
-
But visa issues may plague the lead-up to the event — and not just for athletes but the vast Olympics ecosystem, from coaches and families to sponsors and vendors to, of course, attendees.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
5 June 2025
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The wallet aims to solve cross-border payment challenges that have long plagued African creators.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 June 2025
Verb
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The achievement of Alcock and Brown came just months after the end of the First World War, at a moment when too many families were grieving the loss of an airman brother, father, or son.—
David Rooney
June 5,
Literary Hub,
5 June 2025
-
Logue will play Holt Keane, a father grieving the loss of his family.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Barking in agony, the fox scratches and claws in any attempt to free itself and get to safety.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
28 May 2025
-
Michaela calmly explains that Jocelyn got botched plastic surgery that’s kept her in private agony for the last decade.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Our expectations are different, and then the grief can be a lot more, and the anger can be a lot more.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
7 June 2025
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Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the series is described as an ensemble drama with comedy and heart about sisterhood, nature vs nurture, complicated family dynamics, and grief.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
6 June 2025
Verb
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In 1968 a Jewish Dutch woman named Selma Vos was persecuted to death along with her husband, Cao Richang, an eminent psychologist who had helped found the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.—
Nan Z. Da
June 10,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2025
-
Abrego Garcia was subject to a 2019 withholding order by a judge forbidding his removal to El Salvador because of concerns he would be persecuted there.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
6 June 2025
Verb
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No story better exemplifies that ethos than that of the teenage fake bride turned kidnapper who aches for her mother.—
Carole V. Bell,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
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Although Mel is his ex and she’s moved on with a handsome, charming and super-wealthy NBA star Nick (Mark Tallman), her heart still aches for Coop, which seems to annoy her to no end.—
Rosemary Rossi,
Variety,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguish. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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