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
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
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
Noun
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travails
Noun
-
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
-
Acer was also at pains to point out the large performance differential between the RTX 5070 Ti and the vanilla RTX 5070, which sounds similar.—
John Burek,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Its completion is a testament to the efforts of the countless designers and architects who had to decipher plans for the church that were largely destroyed in the 1930s.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
-
The tool, which uses artificial intelligence, could be deployed at airports to bolster wildlife enforcement efforts, the researchers say.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Many women may not be aware at all that private details of their childbirths were shared with law enforcement.—
Shoshana Walter,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
In some Michigan counties, Medicaid covers more than half of all childbirths.—
Kristen Jordan Shamus,
Freep.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In it, a Native Hawaiian family struggles to reclaim the ancestral lands that colonization, tourism, and rampant development threaten to overrun.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
Over the last few years, Keira has lost her ability to speak, has started having seizures, and struggles more and more with walking.—
Elise Esposito,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Although the novel’s center does not quite hold, O’Farrell’s emotional intelligence — the heart and heat of her characters — braces this sometimes unwieldy chronicle of a nation that has been subject to cumbrous historic agonies.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
-
The agonies of the day were only intermittently audible in the music on offer in Witten.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
People who had really long labors and deliveries are at higher risk of developing a pelvic floor prolapse.—
Parents,
Parents,
21 May 2026
-
Johnson is consistent in mirroring the release from his pedal and rarely labors when transitioning with route breaks.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Extensive design iterations, airworthiness certification, and manufacturing validation requirements make the path to mass production longer and more complex, resulting in a gradual ramp-up in deliveries.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
7 June 2026
-
Research shows that vaginal deliveries—whenever safe and possible—may contribute to healthy immunity too.—
Dr. Daniel DiGiacomo,
Boston Herald,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Rahma strives for a cinema-verité aesthetic, with footage sometimes shot on vintage digital cameras, but the show’s style can’t overcome the limits of its format.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
10 June 2026
-
That's in stark contrast to the graying parishioners at most Spanish churches at a moment the Catholic Church strives to engage with and remain relevant to youth.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Travails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travails. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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