as in aches
a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body
those hunger pangs that strike you in the middle of the afternoon
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pangs
Alison Herman, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
Sharp cracks of gunfire pierced the morning air, loud, jarring pangs that echoed off the concrete.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Its high-fiber content combined with it only having 40 to 45 calories per fruit means kiwis can also help with healthy weight management by curbing hunger pangs without adding many calories to your diet.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
After all, who wants to feel the pangs of self-doubt, anxiety, or chronic stress?
—Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Poor people know the intimate, badgering pangs of hunger, but in Ireland, the memory of the 1845-1848 Famine—the Great Hunger, when one million died from starvation and disease, and another million emigrated—still aches.
—Philip Metres
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Ah, let’s brush away these pangs of insecurity.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
These pangs are only compounded by the cliffhanger that concluded Season 2, in which President William Rayburn (Michael McKean) suffered a fatal heart attack and elevated his vice president, Grace Penn (Allison Janney), to the top of the call sheet.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
Sharp cracks of gunfire pierced the morning air, loud, jarring pangs that echoed off the concrete.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Its high-fiber content combined with it only having 40 to 45 calories per fruit means kiwis can also help with healthy weight management by curbing hunger pangs without adding many calories to your diet.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
After all, who wants to feel the pangs of self-doubt, anxiety, or chronic stress?
—Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Poor people know the intimate, badgering pangs of hunger, but in Ireland, the memory of the 1845-1848 Famine—the Great Hunger, when one million died from starvation and disease, and another million emigrated—still aches.
—Philip Metres
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Ah, let’s brush away these pangs of insecurity.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pangs
Noun
-
Aches and pains don’t compare to the agony of an unrealized dream.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Such pleasurable pains, at their most chronic, or their most carnal, can keep Lang occupied for the length of a stanza.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Like regular depression, SAD can cause negative feelings like hopelessness, worthlessness, irritability, and guilt; fatigue or reduced energy; a loss of interest in hobbies and activities; and even physical aches and pains (including headaches, cramps, and digestive problems).—
Maggie O'Neill,
SELF,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Symptoms of listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, loss of balance and convulsions.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This is where Sturm’s back injury hurts.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Calling recently during a two-day run in Madison, Wisconsin, Batiste is delighted to discuss not only his new music, but his love of Joni Mitchell, his collaboration with Beyoncé and how the loss of late-night shows hurts musicians.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Alex breaks free and, in a panic, repeatedly stabs Evelyn with the syringe.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Spike takes one of Kelson's tranquilizer darts filled with morphine and stabs Samson in the arm with it.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pangs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pangs. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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