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
Mark Sutherland, Variety, 22 May 2025
Her travails range from financial impecunity to employment instability and from getting stuck in an elevator to dealing with a crummy boyfriend.
—Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for travail
Noun
Singer-songwriter Self Esteem added to her growing list of accolades with the Visionary Award and gave a hilarious, yet heartfelt speech about the travails of being a woman in the music industry.
—Mark Sutherland, Variety, 22 May 2025
Her travails range from financial impecunity to employment instability and from getting stuck in an elevator to dealing with a crummy boyfriend.
—Chicago Tribune, 19 May 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
-
Buildings continue to fall into economic distress because of government’s housing policies.—
Alva Badillo,
New York Daily News,
29 June 2025
-
In line with these ideas, researchers published findings in 2023 that showed that meditation increased people’s concern for the suffering of others—and that, by comparison, people without this practice were more oriented to their own distress.—
Mariah G. Schug,
Scientific American,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
Despite a difficult development market and ongoing construction labor shortage, Boise developers are forging ahead to remake the city.—
Nick Rosenberger,
Idaho Statesman,
26 June 2025
-
But its depiction of the site of the hotel as a liminal space of corruption and menace suggests that all tourist fantasies are based on the exploitation of others’ histories, lands, labors, and bodies.—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
Four things women’s bodies do exceptionally well Pain tolerance: Human bodies endure all kinds of pain — from menstrual cramps and childbirth to back injuries and broken bones.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 June 2025
-
Fearing immigration enforcement, undocumented parents will avoid hospitals for childbirth, dramatically escalating medical risk for mother and baby.—
James Thomas Snyder,
Mercury News,
24 May 2025
Verb
-
Though several Democrats are starting to make moves toward 2028, liberals have struggled with the lack of a main character to match Trump's political moxie the way then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi did in his first term.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
-
Now, with no practical skills to speak of, the newly unemployed Grant struggled to find work.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
But playing with an already-strained right calf, the Oshkosh, Wis., native stepped awkwardly towards the basket and crumbled to the court in agony when his leg appeared to pop.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
24 June 2025
-
Finding alternatives that would end this agony would be one of American science’s most important achievements.—
Rachel Fobar,
Vox,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
In an effort to alleviate some of those concerns, Senate GOP leaders included a new $25 billion fund to support rural hospitals.—
Elena Moore,
NPR,
28 June 2025
-
Botswana is also investing in mitigation efforts by phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and promoting various energy efficiency measures.—
Kyle Roderick,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
Verb
-
Kenn Ricci, founder of Flexjet, is an executive who strives to embody both while also running a business in one of the more challenging industries to be sustainable in, aviation.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
But improvements on the field are what this group strives for each year.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
Drawing heavily from Qiu’s biography, My Father’s Son centers on an 18-year-old protagonist, Qiao, who loses his voice while attempting to deliver the eulogy at his father’s funeral and flees in anguish.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2025
-
Many of us watch in anguish as our compatriots abandon their homes, desperate for a safe haven beyond the reach of oppression and destruction.—
Nazanin Boniadi,
Time,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Travail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travail. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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