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
Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
The receivership situation was first reported by Crain's Detroit, which has also chronicled Holtzman's financial travails.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 22 Aug. 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
Whereas the title Amerika emphasizes the setting, The Missing Person points to the novel’s focus on the travails of a guileless hero struggling to find his footing in a frenetic new world.
—Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
The receivership situation was first reported by Crain's Detroit, which has also chronicled Holtzman's financial travails.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 22 Aug. 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
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Appearing in court on Monday, Barton pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of sending a grossly offensive communication with the intention of causing distress or anxiety.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The family is seeking damages for negligence and emotional distress.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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And on Monday night, labor leaders and former congresswoman Katie Porter, a candidate for governor, held a rally on UC San Diego’s campus to galvanize the student vote.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2025
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The first dip comes from keeping labor costs so low that many of its own employees rely on SNAP to survive.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
One dish that is particularly meaningful to her is miyeok guk, a seaweed soup traditionally eaten by women after childbirth.—
Rachel Chang,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Oct. 2025
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How Superstitions Impact Modern Life and Pregnacy Pregnancy and childbirth are major life changes, and with that may come feelings of nervousness, excitement, even fear—and some of these feelings could present themselves as superstitions.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
For organizations struggling with the classic challenges of cross-functional collaboration—territorial disputes, communication gaps, and suboptimal compromises—AI offers a pathway to genuine integration.—
François Candelon,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
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Attest data supports concerns around mental health, with a quarter of parents admitting their child struggles often.—
Hannah Silverman,
Parents,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The three women waited in agony for Randolph to get home, but the suffering only got worse.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Oct. 2025
-
This approaching wall of agony might understandably have stressed out Šobat.—
Sean Williams,
Outside,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That merely meant coach Brian Dutcher didn’t have to delicately parcel out playing time while massaging egos on his Mariana Trench-deep roster, and the bench shortened by circumstance delivered a 77-45 win powered by a pair of true freshmen and a typically frenetic defensive effort.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
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As companies pour trillions into transformation efforts, few see lasting results.—
Jana Werner,
Harvard Business Review,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The panel will focus on accessibility to tickets, fan first ticketing, and the steps ticketing partners are striving toward for the future.—
Kristen Wisneski,
Billboard,
30 Oct. 2025
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Tulip bulb sizes vary, so instead of using a measuring tape, strive to plant tulips about three times as deep as their size.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The towering performance has generated major Oscar buzz since the film’s premiere at Telluride, where audiences were visibly shaken — and deeply moved — by Buckley’s portrayal of a mother’s anguish.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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The lawsuit, filed by Morgan & Morgan, says the woman lost consciousness and suffered permanent bodily injury, mental anguish, and more in the incident on the Mako coaster on March 24.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Travail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travail. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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