anguishes 1 of 2

noun

plural of anguish
as in pains
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

anguishes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of anguish
1
as in plagues
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
2
as in grieves
to feel deep sadness or mental pain I anguished over the loss of my father for years afterwards

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguishes
  1. pains
  2. plagues
  3. grieves
  4. distresses
  5. persecutes
  6. aches
  7. agonies
  8. afflicts
Noun
  • In cases that are considered to be too severe — such as when a pregnant woman at the center began experiencing labor pains — those individuals are airlifted to a nearby hospital.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • California has taken pains to eliminate coal as a source of electricity, and this would be the first coal export terminal in California — or anywhere on the West Coast.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of pains
Verb
  • Yet the monopolisation that plagues other top tiers, while not as stark in England, is creeping in.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Too often, this means taxpayer dollars are fueling the very gun violence that plagues neighborhoods and communities nationwide.
    — Kris Brown, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of plagues
Verb
  • When reached by phone Tuesday morning, a woman who identified herself as Destiny’s mother declined to comment and requested privacy as the family grieves.
    — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • My heart grieves for someone so special to this world and such a good friend to me.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of grieves
Noun
  • Pain, infection, medication side effects, and other physical and emotional distresses may be expressed through shouting, intimidating gestures, kicking, pushing, or punching.
    — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026
Definition of distresses
Verb
  • China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
  • In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.
    — Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Definition of persecutes
Verb
  • About one out of five people infected with West Nile virus develop symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, or rash.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • When a sick child should stay home Hoying recommends keeping kids home when illness includes fever, body aches, vomiting or diarrhea.
    — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of aches
Noun
  • Sadly, in discouraging all the phantom agonies, FIFA inadvertently seems to have done away with the equally farcical phenomenon that is Magic Spray®.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 July 2026
  • The reticence of Cartland’s heroes belies agonies of loneliness.
    — Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026
Definition of agonies
Verb
  • Researchers estimate that postpartum psychosis — which is more serious and less common than postpartum depression — afflicts 1 to 2 per 1,000 women after delivery.
    — Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • That means protections for those who have been vaccinated will weaken and wane as the disease afflicts those who haven’t, threatening public health as a whole.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of afflicts
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Anguishes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguishes. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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