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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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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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
Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
Even now, more than 40 years later, the lasting image of her career is of Decker laying on the track in anguish and tears after colliding with Zola Budd in the 1984 Olympic 3,000-meter run.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Diddy’s anguished plea for mercy.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anguish
Noun
Kathleen Hanna fronted punk greats Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, two bands that existed at different times in the evolving (but still sexist) conversation about women and their place in culture, with the musicians often serving as paragons of feminist critique and anguish.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
Even now, more than 40 years later, the lasting image of her career is of Decker laying on the track in anguish and tears after colliding with Zola Budd in the 1984 Olympic 3,000-meter run.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
Verb
But the intellectual self-questioning and anguished artistic experimentation that began in the early twentieth century after the annihilation of Europe’s old verities did not find fertile ground in the United States, either before the war or after it.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Diddy’s anguished plea for mercy.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguish
Noun
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How did WalletHub determine financial distress?—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
25 Feb. 2026
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Employees expressed their distress about the mass layoffs on social media platforms such as Reddit.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Giving in, in this case, is drowning his sorrows in drink.—
Christina Grace Tucker,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
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Such trickery to assign great value to low-worth materials also underpins the surprise ending for The Girl Who Cried Pearls, which follows a poor boy falling in love with a girl overwhelmed by sorrow to the point her tears turn into pearls.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the final years of Khamenei’s stubborn rule, the country grew increasingly isolated, plagued by corruption and sinking deeper into economic turmoil, with dwindling prospects for a swelling youth population and shrinking middle class.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
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But Republicans are worried that the popular but scandal-plagued Paxton could eventually win the primary, boosting Democrats’ chances of finally flipping the seat blue after decades of false hope.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Dian McElvaine said in 2023 the family was working on getting a death declaration to help with the grieving process.—
Elise Hammond,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
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Our collective thoughts and prayers remain with the family and all of us who are grieving this tragic loss.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But Open, Heaven also courses with youth’s great agony, the cruelty that learning to love should be inexorably followed by learning to grieve its undoing.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
27 Feb. 2026
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The biggest indication yet that Konstantinos Mavropanos’ stock is at an all-time high was the sudden silence around the London Stadium when the defender was seen holding his right knee in agony.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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With no answers, her parents’ intense grief settled into silence, and her three brothers grew up not knowing what happened to their 3-year-old sister.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
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He was stuck deep in the recesses of shock and grief at the loss of the boy who’d labored by his side for so long, a boy who’d never harmed anyone and who had sat behind the wheel of that silver Saab from sunrise to sundown for the family.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The agency’s leadership structure — chaired by active-duty officers loyal to Ortega — undermines its autonomy and allows the government to use financial oversight tools to persecute critics, Treasury said.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
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Cambodia’s government has long been accused of using the judicial system to persecute critics and political opponents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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If a memory aches, try to reframe the story with compassion for all involved.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
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Symptoms of foodborne illness usually include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguish. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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