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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of travail
Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
These travails contribute to derailing them from the traditional American Dream path.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
But for me the recent offensive travails are more of a worry.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
The result is the most boring season of Love Is Blind to date, with couples whose romantic travails are about as spicy as macaroni salad.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for travail
Noun
Other French politicians – including on the left – have had their political ambitions dashed by legal travails.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
These travails contribute to derailing them from the traditional American Dream path.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
But for me the recent offensive travails are more of a worry.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
The result is the most boring season of Love Is Blind to date, with couples whose romantic travails are about as spicy as macaroni salad.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for travail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travail
Noun
-
The report highlights research on young adults that shows that trans students who participate in collegiate sports are less likely to experience distress, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
-
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
Noun
-
To opponents of the bills, including dozens of environmental and labor groups, the effort misplaces the source of building woes and instead would restrict one of the few ways community groups can shape development.—
Liam Dillon,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
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Counties with more than 4% unemployment (labor surplus zones) account for approximately 3.5 million unemployed workers, while counties with less than 4% unemployment (labor shortage zones) need about 1.7 million workers to reach the 4% full-employment benchmark.—
Ariel Diaz,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
Women will learn what bodily changes to expect after giving birth, how to prepare for childbirth and how to maximize recovery.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 June 2025
-
Clinton: Medicaid pays for about 40% of all childbirth and pays for an enormous percentage of senior citizens' health care and a lot of other stuff.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
Verb
-
Increasingly, experts warn more consumers are experiencing financial fragility, struggling to manage their money and their debt.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
-
Command and control continue to haunt Cleveland Guardians right-hander, Triston McKenzie. McKenzie, 27, struggled mightily in his brief appearances with the Guardians this season.—
Bernie Pleskoff,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Barking in agony, the fox scratches and claws in any attempt to free itself and get to safety.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
28 May 2025
-
Michaela calmly explains that Jocelyn got botched plastic surgery that’s kept her in private agony for the last decade.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts.—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
4 June 2025
-
Seeing them at all used to be very rare, but sightings are increasing as their numbers grow thanks to conservation efforts.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
The album’s 11 tracks don’t strive to be confessional, just open.—
Janine Schaults,
Chicago Tribune,
3 June 2025
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This leads them to strive to inspire others, creating a virtuous cycle that perpetually increases engagement, a sense of purpose, and more.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
Noun
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Among the thousands left in anguish is Sasha Escalante, a 44-year-old Venezuelan radio producer living in Miami.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
5 June 2025
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Criminalizing them can lead to extended mental anguish.—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Travail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travail. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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