TRAVAILS Synonyms: 175 Similar and Opposite Words

travails 1 of 2

noun

plural of travail

as in pains

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in efforts

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 childbirths

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

travails

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of travail

as in struggles

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

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 travails

Noun

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 Its current travails are likely to be a model for the nation too. —

David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 11 June 2026 The travails of baristas, ride-share drivers or suburban supermarket employees don’t gather my sympathies as much as, say, the lot of the workers at the BP refinery in Whiting, Indiana, or the Ford plant on Torrence Avenue in Chicago. —

John Vukmirovich, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026 But through all the travails of a second consecutive 10th-place finish, developmental strides were made, tangible growth spurts for what could follow. —

Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2026 Article continues below ‘The Godfather’ (1972) Watch On Director Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster epic, an adaptation of Mario Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel, offers a sweeping look at the travails of the Corleone mafia family. —

David Faris, TheWeek, 29 Apr. 2026 Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury division, has been stuck in a malaise for years now in large part tied to the travails of its corporate parent, but, lately, there have been some signs of life, including, possibly, a new manual performance sedan. —

Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2026 Consider the recent travails of bride-to-be Lauren Johnson. —

Editorial Board, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2026 Set in the late 90’s, the comedy follows the trials and travails of Chester (Dan Beirne), a cartoonist and Sonny (Emily Lê), a TV host, who are in a long-term, committed, romantic relationship until Sonny introduces the idea of opening up the couple. —

Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for travails

Noun

Saliba had been a concern after playing through back pains during Arsenal’s Champions League Final loss.

— Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 13 June 2026
However, while yellow journalism often resulted in articles that were exaggerated or misleading, TMZ usually takes pains to be rigorous and accurate in its reporting.

— Angelica Kalika, The Conversation, 2 June 2026