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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
2
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
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Recent Examples of anguished
Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025
So, on the night after the murder, the town’s streets were filled with anguished cries from the Inuit—wails of loss and pain.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Deeply anguished by the loss of precious lives due to extremely tragic accidental blast at Nowgam police station in Srinagar.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 15 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anguished
Adjective
Answers poured in—thoughtful, anguished, perceptive answers that reminded me that there is value in naming the problem, even if nothing, for the moment, can be done to stop it.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025
So, on the night after the murder, the town’s streets were filled with anguished cries from the Inuit—wails of loss and pain.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
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
Deeply anguished by the loss of precious lives due to extremely tragic accidental blast at Nowgam police station in Srinagar.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 15 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anguished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguished
Adjective
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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
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Verb
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But the hospital has been plagued by security issues in the last few years, and a contract dispute with the nurses’ union.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Commentary and opinions Tim Walz isn’t the only governor plagued by fraud.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Users of both Replika and GPT-4o, an older model offered within ChatGPT, have grieved when technical changes caused their bots to lose memories or otherwise shift their behavior.—
Damon Beres,
The Atlantic,
5 Nov. 2025
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The sentiment was echoed across social media, as many grieved the loss of a long-operating part of American amusement park history.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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This internal struggle is portrayed with raw honesty, focusing on the darker, mournful corners of humanity that inspired the record’s lyrics.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
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Other tracks channel the mournful energy of the most political ’70s dub.—
Andrew Ryce,
Pitchfork,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Open Doors is a global Christian charity supporting Christians persecuted for their faith.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
28 Dec. 2025
-
Most commonly, people felt they were being persecuted via their electronics – that their Wi-Fi networks, computers or cellphones had been hacked or implanted with tracking devices.—
Alaina Vandervoort Burns,
The Conversation,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Book blogs mourned my loss, a distinction that was both affirming and heartrending.—
Kenneth Turan,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
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Hollywood Heritage, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving neighborhood history, mourned the loss of the motel in a statement Sunday.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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As the title suggests, the book details Turner's tale of a heartbroken widower who became an unlikely senior-citizen TV star on the first season of the reality show, which ended with an engagement to Nist.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
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Thomas told the outlet that her brother’s diagnosis left their family heartbroken.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Support for Bass is more mixed, with her current record containing many more failures than have afflicted either Lurie or any other recent Los Angeles mayor.—
Thomas D. Elias,
Oc Register,
8 Jan. 2026
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In most cases, the faithful afflicted by the evil one need only a comfortable chair (better if equipped with armrests) to accompany the exorcistic celebration.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anguished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguished. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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