ANGUISHED Synonyms: 256 Similar and Opposite Words

anguished 1 of 2

adjective

ˈaŋ-gwisht

Definition of anguished

as in weeping

expressing or suggesting mourning an anguished cry the military's explanation of the accident did nothing to console the anguished widow

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

anguished

2 of 2

verb

past tense of anguish

as in plagued

to cause persistent suffering to she was anguished by the fear that her sons would die in the war

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in grieved

to feel deep sadness or mental pain I anguished over the loss of my father for years afterwards

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 anguished

Adjective

By the end of the month, the tone of Rivas Hernandez’s messages had grown more anguished. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026 Drew Bos, last seen at OPFT as Romeo’s buddy Benvolio in 2024, stars as the Danish prince whose visions of his late father (Charls Sedgwick Hall) prompt an anguished internal reckoning over his bitter desire for revenge and suicidal thoughts. — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026

Verb

There is a mood to these stories, sardonic and anguished in turn, that gets under your skin. — Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025 Insert anguished grimace emoji here. — Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 24 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for anguished

Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguished

Adjective

And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.

— David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.

— Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021

Definition of weeping

Verb

Several fans grieved the restaurant’s closing on its social pages.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026
Jake Reiner sat for an interview with ABC7 Los Angeles on Thursday, delving into how his surviving family has grieved during the past several months since his parents’ deaths.

— Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of grieved

Adjective

Eleazar forgoes Thom Yorke-style belting, draws out the mournful quaver in the lyrics, and subtly reshapes the anthem in Misty’s image, her commitment to doing things her way.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
But the production here betrays its economy, and the direction, by Garth Davis and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, remains earthbound, held down by mournful strings and devoid of color.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of mournful

Verb

Those governments provide assurances that people won’t be persecuted or tortured, federal attorneys said.

— Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Also, some immigration cases involve people seeking asylum because they are being persecuted by a foreign government and releasing a person’s full name could be considered sensitive or even dangerous.

— Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of persecuted

Verb

When the world mourned the death of a beloved monarch in 2023, Prince Edward was grieving the loss of his beloved cousin.

— Stephanie Bridger-Linning, Vanity Fair, 10 Oct. 2026
In southern Israel, families mourned at intersections, bomb shelters and the site of a music festival that the militants overran three years ago in the deadliest attack against Israel.

— Frank Andrews, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of mourned

Adjective

Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire honored Macy at a county Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday, telling community leaders that her death had left his office and the wider community heartbroken.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Daria’s heartbroken family declined to comment on her death Saturday.

— Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of heartbroken

Verb

Love contains the seeds of its own destruction—the cruelty and self-absorption that turns the afflicted against one another, and themselves.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
While the epicenter was located in Nantou County in central Taiwan, serious damage afflicted residents across the island as roads buckled, bridges collapsed and landslides destroyed everything in their path.

— Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of afflicted

Browse Nearby Words

anguish

anguished

anguishes

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Anguished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguished. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of anguished

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

zenith

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes