1
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
no greater travail than that of parents who have suffered the death of a child
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in labor
very hard or unpleasant work
these villagers now have decent housing, so our travail has not been in vain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in childbirth
the act or process of giving birth to children
a midwife assisted her throughout her long travail
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort
Labor Day is the day on which we recognize those men and women who daily travail with little appreciation or compensation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of travail
La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 15 Oct. 2025
But this climactic sequence, too, is redolent of too many other films to name, as is a final stretch where the apparent resolution to the sisters’ travails turns out to be something else.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
Yue Wang, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
For Zegler, making her British stage debut, Evita must seem like a haven of sorts after her travails with the controversy that grew around Snow White, where her casting was subject to racist attacks on social media about her Colombian heritage.
—Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for travail
Noun
The project is a labor of love for Meyer, who grappled with his own travails acclimating back to civilian life after two deployments to Iraq.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 15 Oct. 2025
But this climactic sequence, too, is redolent of too many other films to name, as is a final stretch where the apparent resolution to the sisters’ travails turns out to be something else.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
Zhong Shanshan, founder and chairman of beverage giant Nongfu Spring, has reclaimed his crown as China’s richest person amid a turnaround of his business and family travails at top rival Hangzhou Wahaha Group.
—Yue Wang, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
For Zegler, making her British stage debut, Evita must seem like a haven of sorts after her travails with the controversy that grew around Snow White, where her casting was subject to racist attacks on social media about her Colombian heritage.
—Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for travail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travail
Noun
-
Certain symptoms that signaled addictive food behavior were also more common among women, like inability to decrease intake, greater cravings and distress about their consumption.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Roughly half of all low-income countries are in or near debt distress, which can significantly exacerbate food insecurity.—
ARIF HUSAIN,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The program allows people convicted of crimes in the county to serve their sentences through manual labor instead of jail time, Jenkins said.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Further, many construction jobs were being done by undocumented workers, particularly in the Southwest, where deportations are impacting the ability for homebuilders to find enough labor to build homes.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Kanto practitioners believe that women cannot participate because, according to Japan's Shinto religion, women's blood from menstruation and childbirth is considered impure for the purpose of religious rituals.—
Anthony Kuhn,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Brutal childbirth has increasingly become TV shorthand for the burden of being a woman.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And problems continue despite the flight cancellations designed to relieve stress on controllers struggling to deal with the shutdown.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Entry-level workers experiment freely and the C-suite sees strategic value, yet middle managers often struggle to bridge the gap.—
Feon Ang,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Following months of agony and fundraising, Abeba was eventually able to send enough money to pay for her brother Daniel’s release.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Near those boundaries, microscopic changes in pace or line flip the result, explaining why near-identical putts can alternate between agony and ecstasy.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Even as federal funding resumes, local colleges, businesses and nonprofits are joining county agencies in maintaining relief efforts for as long as Sacramento-area residents need them.—
Cathie Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
12 Nov. 2025
-
The first Black cemetery in Tarrant County, home to the remains of more than 500 veterans, was rededicated on Veterans Day after a months-long restoration effort.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Let’s strive for greater together.—
Essence,
Essence,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The development comes as Netflix strives to become more competitive with its peers in the battle to win ad dollars from Madison Avenue.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
No adolescent defiance or child’s anguish was visible on his face now.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Some critics called for more editorial discipline in the film, or found Lawrence’s onscreen spin cycle of anguish, which involves literally clawing her way up walls or flinging herself through glass doors, to be repetitive.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Travail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travail. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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