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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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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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
Noun
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The 74-year-old Weinstein, meanwhile, reported chest pains during jury deliberations in the most recent trial, spurring another early end to court.
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The colors, pains, pleasures, smells, tastes and sounds, the what-it’s-like of being conscious, are not private inner bits and blobs that philosophers call qualia, floating in a theatre of the mind.
Verb
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More bureaucracy — in the form of the new stand-alone Department of Gun Violence Reduction — while well-intentioned, isn’t the panacea to what plagues our city, especially as whoever is appointed head of this new department will enjoy too much independence from the mayor.
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Odd moment plagues fourth quarter As the Knicks held on to their fairly sizable lead, a fan ran onto the court, tried to take a selfie with Wembanyama but was quickly apprehended by security.
Verb
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Each person grieves differently.
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The Professor, with only her ex-partner’s cat for company, sits in her decaying apartment and grieves the loss of her relationship and her struggle with infertility.
Noun
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The reticence of Cartland’s heroes belies agonies of loneliness.
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Although the novel’s center does not quite hold, O’Farrell’s emotional intelligence — the heart and heat of her characters — braces this sometimes unwieldy chronicle of a nation that has been subject to cumbrous historic agonies.
Verb
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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.
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In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.
Verb
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Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or rash, according to the CDC.
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Some people also experience body aches, headache or vomiting.
Noun
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The sad thing is that the miseries return, but there is no other Garrincha available.
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The parallels between Ines’ dilemma and that of a nation being asked to lick its wounds in silence — in the name of moving on from past miseries — are present but elusive.
Verb
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Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that primarily and most severely afflicts children.
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Consider osteoarthritis, which afflicts roughly 33 million Americans by gradually wearing down cartilage in the joints.
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Cite this Entry
“Anguishes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguishes. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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