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
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 June 2025
Its meta nature, a game about the travails of making a game, offers insight into a creation process that’s often seen as mysterious.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for travail
Noun
That places an onerous burden on Henson, doing her considerable best trying to sustain a role whose Job-like travails crank the distress level to 11 too soon.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 June 2025
Its meta nature, a game about the travails of making a game, offers insight into a creation process that’s often seen as mysterious.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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
-
Brown said a bite from a lone star tick can trigger an allergic reaction, with symptoms including hives, gastrointestinal distress and potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis.—
State House News Service,
Boston Herald,
13 July 2025
-
Tiffany had shown no indication of being depressed or in emotional distress.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
Few understood the grind behind the artistic brilliance: the obsessive repetition, the sleepless nights, the meticulous labor behind even a single bar of music.—
David Kushner,
Rolling Stone,
20 July 2025
-
The price tag for these projects is great because of the amount of time and labor needed to complete them.—
Justin Doughty,
Hartford Courant,
19 July 2025
Noun
-
Despite having more complex reproductive organs and the burdensome, sometimes fatal, functions that come with them — menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding — female bodies tend to outlast male bodies.—
Starre Vartan,
CNN Money,
7 July 2025
-
Today, with the exception of Wisconsin, Medicaid coverage has extended from 60 days to 12 months after childbirth.—
Natasha Williams,
New York Daily News,
2 July 2025
Verb
-
The party of the president usually struggles in a midterm election like next year's race to replace Peters.—
M.L. Elrick,
Freep.com,
23 July 2025
-
But AmeriCorps officials have struggled in recent years to provide financial information to auditors and have acknowledged the need for reforms.—
Dan Horn,
The Enquirer,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
The point isn’t just to resolve in-the-moment agony.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
16 July 2025
-
Shortly before halftime, Musiala collided with Gianluigi Donnarumma in the PSG penalty area and went down in agony clutching his left ankle, which appeared to be twisted at an unnatural angle.—
Jamie Barton,
CNN Money,
6 July 2025
Noun
-
Waiting there for us was Rhubarb the python snake, who's a member of the zoo's animal ambassador program, which means she was selected to help promote the zoo's conservation efforts and represent her species.—
Grace Tucker,
The Enquirer,
23 July 2025
-
The visit, scheduled for 4pm, is part of the White House’s effort to ramp up scrutiny of the Fed’s $2.5 billion renovation, which President Donald Trump has zeroed in on as a possible pretext for ousting Chair Jerome Powell.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
Even though her husband and her eldest son will one day be king, Princess Kate has strived to maintain a sense of normalcy at home.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
22 July 2025
-
These dishes have to be perfect, even in their simplicity, and there’s something exciting about striving for that.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
Noun
-
But the first lady and I are here in Texas to express the love and support and the anguish of our entire nation in the aftermath of this really horrific and deadly flood.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
11 July 2025
-
Ming-Na Wen Tapped Into Deep Emotions To Play Dr. Fong In ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ While Ming-Na Wen doesn’t throw a punch in Karate Kid: Legends, that doesn’t mean her character hasn’t been in past battles, particularly those dealing with mental anguish.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Travail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travail. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
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