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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in grieved

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

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

Tensions flared Saturday as desperation grew among anguished residents of the Venezuelan state of La Guaira, where rescuers and civilians searched for earthquake survivors amid a sharply rising death toll. — Arkansas Online, 28 June 2026 Even as the likelihood of finding people alive diminished with each passing hour, rescuers continued to free survivors from mountains of debris, offering anguished families reason to keep hopes alive. — Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 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

Liam Gallagher continued his longtime legacy of talking crap about other artists with his recap of this year’s World Cup halftime show, tweeting out various annoyances that plagued him.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Both Boeing and Airbus have been plagued by supply crunches following the Covid-19 pandemic, and have struggled to meet demand for new aircraft from customers.

— Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 20 July 2026

Definition of plagued

Verb

We are further grieved by continuing violence and instability in the Middle East, including the recent conflict involving Iran and its widening humanitarian consequences.

— Killingly-Brooklyn Interfaith Council, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026
While the family grieved, the Willard Police Department got to work.

— Dateline NBC, NBC news, 24 June 2026

Definition of grieved

Adjective

The teen’s father, Jesus Rivas, looked at the screen with a mournful expression and repeatedly checked on Martínez as their lawyer, Patrick Steinfeld, sat next to them.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2026
The teen’s father, Jesus Rivas, looked at the screen with a mournful expression and repeatedly checked on his wife.

— Nancy Dillon, VIBE.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of mournful

Verb

Also on Wednesday, Blume returned a Pablo Picasso bust, Fernande/Beatrice (1905), to the descendants of German-Jewish dealer Alfred Flechtheim, who was persecuted by the Reich, reports TAN.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 16 July 2026
Representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine have been persecuted.

— Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

Definition of persecuted

Verb

He is owed comfort, dignity, and the assurance that he won’t be forgotten by those who loved him, that he will be genuinely mourned.

— Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
An 18-year-old was being mourned by family and friends after falling to her death from a bridge support structure in Big Bear, reportedly a favorite hangout for local teens.

— Seamus Bozeman Follow, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2026

Definition of mourned

Adjective

The feud shows no signs of ending, and Kate Middleton is reportedly heartbroken over it.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 18 July 2026
In 2017, administrators at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh were heartbroken to learn that hundreds of rare books, art prints and maps worth more than $8 million had been purloined from its rare books room.

— Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 15 July 2026

Definition of heartbroken

Verb

Forty-nine of the afflicted have been hospitalized; of those, thirty-four have gone home.

— News Desk, Artforum, 15 July 2026
Jonestown afflicted Naipaul’s vision, his way of deciphering not just political manias but the dreariness of urban life, the perpetual doom of the nuclear-arms race.

— Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026

Definition of afflicted

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“Anguished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguished. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of anguished

adjective

verb

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