TRAVAIL Synonyms: 186 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'travail' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of travail are drudgery , grind , labor , toil , and work . While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering. // years of travail were lost when the house burned

Q: In what contexts can 'drudgery' take the place of 'travail'?

The words drudgery and travail can be used in similar contexts, but drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor. // an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

Q: When would 'grind' be a good substitute for 'travail'?

Although the words grind and travail have much in common, grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body. // the grind of the assembly line

Q: When is it sensible to use 'labor' instead of 'travail'?

While in some cases nearly identical to travail , labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion. // farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

Q: When could 'toil' be used to replace 'travail'?

The meanings of toil and travail largely overlap; however, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor. // his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

Q: When might 'work' be a better fit than 'travail'?

The words work and travail are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force. // too tired to do any work

travail 1 of 2

noun

trə-ˈvāl

Definition of travail

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

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

as in childbirth

the act or process of giving birth to children a midwife assisted her throughout her long travail

Synonyms & Similar Words

travail

2 of 2

verb

trə-ˈvāl

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun travail contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of travail are drudgery, grind, labor, toil, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

In what contexts can drudgery take the place of travail?

The words drudgery and travail can be used in similar contexts, but drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When would grind be a good substitute for travail?

Although the words grind and travail have much in common, grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When is it sensible to use labor instead of travail?

While in some cases nearly identical to travail, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When could toil be used to replace travail?

The meanings of toil and travail largely overlap; however, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When might work be a better fit than travail?

The words work and travail are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of travail

Noun

Despite their travails in Tehran, the atmosphere in the cafe felt lax, with many women not heeding the country’s law requiring women to cover their heads and the shape of their bodies. — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 22 June 2026 Gaudette used a series of AI tools — and not a single actor, producer or crew member — to tell his tender story of a man who, for all his travails, hardly wallows in his station. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026

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

The lawsuit requests damages of $10 million for past and future physical injuries, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.

— Madison Lambert, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026
The lawsuits seek damages for wrongful death, economic loss and emotional distress, Crump said.

— Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of distress

Noun

Stefan Rittner, senior portfolio manager at Allianz Global Investors, said markets were more likely to accept measures that improve productivity, labor supply and long-term growth than spending aimed mainly at supporting consumption.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026
Many skeptics see a contradiction in high-achieving, mostly white young voters employing rhetoric about labor and solidarity.

— Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of labor

Noun

The crucible of childbirth is often spoken of as transformative, the self-sacrifice of pregnancy as part of becoming a parent.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2026
Catholic doctrine holds that Mary’s virginity was preserved before, during, and after childbirth.

— Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of childbirth

Verb

On the other hand, if a teenager is struggling and isn’t involved in any activities, encourage them to explore their interests as a way of making those initial connections.

— Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
New telescopes in the $50 range are usually tiny 50- to 70-millimeter refractors that struggle with faint objects.

— Damian Peach, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of struggle

Noun

The man with almost no injury was writhing in agony, while the man with a four-inch nail lodged near his brain kept working for six days, not even realizing the nail was there.

— Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Instead of wailing in agony after sampling the vengefully spiked bird, Prince fell in love with it and founded the BBQ Chicken Shack in 1945.

— Ellen Fort, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 July 2026

Definition of agony

Noun

Houthi spokesman Nasruddin Amer said on X on Friday that the group will continue to target any Saudi buildups in an effort to lift the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen.

— Fatma Khaled, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2026
The significant time and effort involved makes most sense when recruiting, hiring, training, and mentoring large numbers for identical (or at least similar) jobs.

— Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of effort

Verb

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ruled out fracking in a key basin, citing danger to nearby water tables and indigenous communities — a move that highlights her political balancing act as the country strives to wean off US energy.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Leaders should strive to embed a security engineer directly into product squads from the design phase, turning cryptographic requirements into ordinary user stories rather than late-stage compliance findings.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of strive

Noun

Almodóvar’s film focuses on the suffering caused by a terminal diagnosis, and the additional anguish incurred by not having the option of aid in dying.

— Vanessa Rampton, STAT, 5 Aug. 2026
With the help of an athletic trainer, Hoecht was guided to a bench and plopped down in anguish.

— Tim Graham, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of anguish

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“Travail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travail. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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