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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of travails
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
This must rank as one of the earliest examples of the travails of seeking to do business with China.
—Kerry Brown, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Unlike his own travails under Cruyff, Lineker says that Flick’s 4-3-3 shape suits Barca’s current England attacker Rashford, who has five goals and four assists in 12 appearances since joining on a season-long loan from Manchester United.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
The project is a labor of love for Meyer, who grappled with his own travails acclimating back to civilian life after two deployments to Iraq.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 15 Oct. 2025
But this climactic sequence, too, is redolent of too many other films to name, as is a final stretch where the apparent resolution to the sisters’ travails turns out to be something else.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
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
Entirely outside the symbolic order, nature goes about its business, taking no notice of our seemingly momentous upheavals, our dumb travails.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
Season 2 of The Office Movers launches tomorrow (November 7), following the latest travails of two brothers navigating Toronto’s commercial office moving industry.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
This must rank as one of the earliest examples of the travails of seeking to do business with China.
—Kerry Brown, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Unlike his own travails under Cruyff, Lineker says that Flick’s 4-3-3 shape suits Barca’s current England attacker Rashford, who has five goals and four assists in 12 appearances since joining on a season-long loan from Manchester United.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
The project is a labor of love for Meyer, who grappled with his own travails acclimating back to civilian life after two deployments to Iraq.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 15 Oct. 2025
But this climactic sequence, too, is redolent of too many other films to name, as is a final stretch where the apparent resolution to the sisters’ travails turns out to be something else.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
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
Entirely outside the symbolic order, nature goes about its business, taking no notice of our seemingly momentous upheavals, our dumb travails.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travails
Noun
-
In fact, Williams took great pains to establish that his primary objective is building the Terps (7-7, 0-3 Big Ten), not tearing down a 21-year-old prospect, the Bears or the sport’s governing body.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Those in their fifties and beyond require the same amount of sleep as younger adults—and may actually benefit from sleeping more to offset nightly wake-ups from aches and pains, medication side effects, or dealing with the need to urinate more frequently in the middle of the night.—
Emma Loewe,
Outside,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There is currently no information about the containment efforts for the fire and its cause remains unknown.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
9 Nov. 2025
-
And then on Thursday, after most of the show had been written, a man collapsed in the Oval Office, generating an instantly meme-able photograph of the president staring into the camera, looking oblivious to efforts to revive the prone victim at stage left.—
Erik Adams,
The Atlantic,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In some Michigan counties, Medicaid covers more than half of all childbirths.—
Kristen Jordan Shamus,
Freep.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Haunted by her own traumas and hidden scars, Kitts struggles to piece together the clues and separate Raevyn’s madness from an even more troubling reality.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
-
The chain’s anniversary comes as the restaurant industry struggles with declining traffic.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But the attention the episode pays to her labors the next day to secure Helen’s grace is a great example of Gillian’s slow-burn style paying off.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
26 Nov. 2025
-
The time has come for decorating enthusiasts around Middle Tennessee to shine, and for area visitors ― and those of us who live nearby and enjoy scoping out Christmas decor, or getting a few ideas of our own to add in next year ― to see the fruits of their labors.—
Nicole Young,
Nashville Tennessean,
23 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The development comes as Netflix strives to become more competitive with its peers in the battle to win ad dollars from Madison Avenue.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Everyone strives for that state and pours their love into it.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Just as the agonies and inadequacies of the meal itself are necessary steps toward the glorious leftovers to come, to me the bird is simply a prerequisite for its bones.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
24 Nov. 2025
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 9 Jan. 2026.
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