1
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to
she was anguished by the fear that her sons would die in the war
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grieving
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 anguishing
Morgan’s childhood was filled with anguishing losses.
—
Sam McDowell 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2026
Sam McDowell 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguishing
Verb
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The low-pitch frustration and helplessness plaguing Ann give Constance Zimmer good material to work with.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
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Microsoft, down 15% this year, is the largest stock swept up in the broader sell-off plaguing the software sector.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Angela, grieving for her family and friends gone in the war, smuggles goods along the front lines to make a living.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2026
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Kay Scarpetta is, like many protagonists of these sorts of stories, a remarkable and mythical investigator, returning to her old job as chief medical examiner of the commonwealth of Virginia in order to spend more time with her grieving niece, Lucy (DeBose), who has lost her wife.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The statement did not include what skin condition requiring a prescription is afflicting Trump, but causes could include eczema, an allergic reaction caused by food or medication, shingles and others.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
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The lawsuit has exposed alleged financial woes — including past-due tax returns — afflicting Martinez’s numerous businesses.—
Patrick Danner,
San Antonio Express-News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Indeed, this feels to me very much like a play a writer would write after being stuck for months in a house with teens, aching to live their lives and sometimes seeing their loving parents as captors, even as moms and dads just tried to hold their lives together.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
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As a result, the weight pulled against my shoulders and left them aching after just a few hours on the trail.—
Corey Buhay,
Outside,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But so often left unsaid by Gu are the moral ambiguities that come with choosing to represent a country that has been heavily criticized by Human Rights Watch, among other watchdog groups, for denying rights of freedom of expression and for persecuting government critics.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2026
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Troops are occupying our cities and persecuting our people.—
Maria Guinnip,
Oklahoman,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Arab world is not mourning.—
Andrew Ghalili,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
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Chaos erupted in Washington Square Park in Manhattan as a vigil mourning the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei descended into violence Friday, with video capturing a man being pummeled to the ground while attempting to tear down a poster of the late Iranian leader.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Ayatollah ruled as a brutal dictator, killing and torturing his own people, imposing harsh restrictions on basic freedoms, and put the lives of our troops and global allies constantly at risk.—
Derek Tran,
Oc Register,
6 Mar. 2026
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Draughan was arraigned Thursday on two counts of second-degree killing/torturing animals, one count of felony firearms, one count of cruelty to an animal resulting in the animal's death, and one count of abandoning animals.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And while many might be reluctant to close the time capsule door on their beloved skinnies, some of us are sighing with relief that the current denim trend is comfy enough for travel.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Feb. 2026
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But the film belongs to Farmer, Jacobs’ own grandmother, who gives Hettie an unfussy sturdiness of mien and spirit to counter the growing, sighing frailty of her person, and a steady, narrow stare that occasionally seems to see through time.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anguishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguishing. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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