ANGUISH Synonyms: 253 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

anguish 1 of 2

noun

ˈaŋ-gwish

Definition of anguish

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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anguish

2 of 2

verb

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

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Abrams does yeoman’s work with a character stuck in a tight spot for most of the running time, constantly grunting and gasping with a mixture of anguish and exhaustion as his body gets progressively more beat up and broken. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026 Waterman’s aunt, Tiffany Waterman, expressed anguish over the exclusion of her nephew’s statements in a Facebook post Monday as jury selection began. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Verb

Hong Kong is an anguishing example. — Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026 Especially for someone whose entire adult life has been immersed in the adrenaline-infusion of coaching — from its exhilarating highs and anguishing lows to simply always being in the middle of so much. — Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for anguish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguish

Noun

The rise of self-harm influencers—people for whom demonstrating their distress online has become a source of income and validation—is a terrifying new development.

— Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026
CoreWeave, the leader of the pack, has seen spreads on its CDS widen past 11%, generally viewed as a distress level, as investors have to pay up for protection against default.

— Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of distress

Noun

And Saturday, with the game temporarily relocated to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Gators couldn’t even drown their sorrows in the usual Jacksonville sunshine.

— Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Oct. 2026
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the deaths and called for a prompt, transparent investigation to determine the cause, according to a statement from his office.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of sorrow

Verb

Gallagher has also sought to tie McGuire to cost-of-living problems plaguing Californians, such as the price of gasoline and housing.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Yet the overall mission is plagued with challenges, including the ongoing fighting, questions over American support and the outcome of the upcoming French elections.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of plague

Verb

In this contemporary fantasy, grieving daughter Hattie returns to Seattle for the first time in the two years since her mother’s death.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
In Birmingham, the mayor said, people can be united in grieving and seeking justice while still celebrating the classic football game, where Woodfin had posted pictures of himself Saturday evening.

— Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of grieve

Noun

Taking the McDavid minutes away gives us the purest form of agony these defencemen are experiencing at this time.

— Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
The prisoner in question, Doug Korpi, had also admitted that his agony was an act to journalist Ben Blum, who included the revelation in a broader takedown of the experiment published in 2018.

— Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of agony

Noun

The death was met by a swell of grief, including from former Mexican leaders across the political spectrum.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
Harvard Health’s advice on coping with holiday grief suggests adjusting celebrations or starting new traditions when old ones feel too painful.

— Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of grief

Verb

The Paxton campaign decried the reporting, without denying it, while saying he had been politically persecuted.

— Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
The company named all its weapons after Ukrainian intellectuals and artists killed or persecuted by Russians in the last century.

— Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of persecute

Verb

Some women develop aching joints, headaches or pelvic pain seemingly out of the blue during perimenopause, or the menopausal transition, while others find that existing chronic pain conditions become harder to manage.

— Cheyenne Buckingham, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2026
The majority of patients don't have symptoms, but about one in five will experience symptoms two to six days after being bitten, including fever, headaches, body aches, joint pain, diarrhea, vomiting or a rash.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of ache

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Style

“Anguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguish. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of anguish

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