1
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
2
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
3
as in childbirths
the act or process of giving birth to children
a midwife assisted her throughout her long travail
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Recent Examples of travails
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2026
Porkchop has persevered through her travails.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Everton will no doubt have ended the game content with a point, given their first-half travails.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
This biography tracks the triumphs and the travails of the twentieth-century Hungarian photographer André Kertész.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
After all, how many travails can one poor family take?
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 10 Jan. 2026
However the travails of some of China’s biggest companies including real estate developers have weighed on the market, while deflationary pressure may dampen future growth.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 2 Jan. 2026
In public comments to news outlets over the past year, representatives from Flow have sought to distance the company from the travails of then-Yieldstreet.
—Hugh Son, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2025
Thankfully, North of North has Anna Lambe, a Canadian Inuk actress whose warm, sympathetic presence as Siaja immediately invites you to settle into the rhythms of the coming-of-age story’s triumphs and travails.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Noun
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
Porkchop has persevered through her travails.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Everton will no doubt have ended the game content with a point, given their first-half travails.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
This biography tracks the triumphs and the travails of the twentieth-century Hungarian photographer André Kertész.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
After all, how many travails can one poor family take?
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 10 Jan. 2026
However the travails of some of China’s biggest companies including real estate developers have weighed on the market, while deflationary pressure may dampen future growth.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 2 Jan. 2026
In public comments to news outlets over the past year, representatives from Flow have sought to distance the company from the travails of then-Yieldstreet.
—Hugh Son, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2025
Thankfully, North of North has Anna Lambe, a Canadian Inuk actress whose warm, sympathetic presence as Siaja immediately invites you to settle into the rhythms of the coming-of-age story’s triumphs and travails.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travails
Noun
-
My adolescence was an ordinary one, its joys and pains small.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Melania takes pains to include many shots of her and Donald acting like a loving couple, which threatens to take the film out of the realm of nonfiction.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The memorandum of understanding was signed at the Changi Aviation Summit, held on the eve of the Singapore Airshow, marking a significant milestone for global engine development efforts and for the city-state’s aviation ambitions.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Israel and Egypt are vetting travelers, and the crossing is being overseen with international involvement, officials said, as part of efforts to prevent weapons smuggling while allowing limited humanitarian movement.—
Bradford Betz,
FOXNews.com,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In some Michigan counties, Medicaid covers more than half of all childbirths.—
Kristen Jordan Shamus,
Freep.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In the movie, Redford plays Roy Hobbs, who struggles his entire life to get a shot at playing professional baseball — a transformation of Arthurian legend into mythic Americana.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Raymond James analysts upgraded the stock to an outperform rating, citing Sandisk's pricing momentum as new supply struggles to come online.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The main premise of the original Patlabor anime still holds true with EZY, with the focus being on a future Japanese police force using mecha called labors to combat crime.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
The sticky organism reminded him of the next day’s labors and the scent of the forest.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The organization, which strives to provide services to anyone who needs them, would almost certainly have to reduce hours or possibly even close clinics.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
-
While it is not accredited, the IPS strives to be no less rigorous or critical than the programs that seek such validation.—
Catherine Taft,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Her film is an honorable attempt to dramatize the everyday agonies and frustrations of Red Crescent workers, to honor their quick thinking and astonishing courage under duress.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
How Tielemans overcame early toils is often used as a source of encouragement by new additions who seem peripheral at first.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Travails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travails. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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