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
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
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
Noun
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travails
Noun
-
Paktyawal began complaining of shortness of breath and chest pains while being held in a holding room at the Dallas ICE field office on Friday evening and was taken to the hospital to receive breathing treatment, the agency said.—
Aarón Torres,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The agency, in the years since, has taken pains to culturally move away from that attitude in favor of an approach that sees STAR as a standalone response option on equal footing with police, firefighters and paramedics.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The completion of the project reflects continued efforts by RTX and Raytheon to expand manufacturing capacity, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen the technological capabilities that support national and allied security.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Agricultural businesses need storytellers, social media managers and content creators to share engaging and transparent narratives about the innovative efforts taking place on their farms.—
Metro Creative Services,
Boston Herald,
16 Mar. 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
-
However, the study shows that VQE frequently struggles to handle them accurately.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
-
If John does agree to explore his options in politics, things will get worse for Carolyn, who struggles to keep a brave face in light of the scrutiny that is hitting her from all sides.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In the second round, Sarah labors.—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
-
And while the fruits of those labors may not be realized until later in the winter or in the spring — when free agency and the draft finally arrive — the next few days are crucial for laying groundwork.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Sweeney plays Undine Spragg, a fiercely ambitious woman from the Midwest who strives for the social heights of turn-of-the-century New York.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
-
As the agency continues to grow, strengthening its infrastructure, TSD strives to preserve the intimacy that first defined those early kitchen-table sessions.—
Contributor,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Hadi’s exceptional attention gives cinematic identity to collective artisanal energy, to the life force of care and devotion that stands outside the agonies of politics, to the spirit that endures a regime and outlives it.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There has to be a chance that Jos Buttler’s toils in Sri Lanka and India represent his last ventures on the international stage, and therefore the end of an era.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Both were premised on the idea of frictionless ease, liberating their users from outmoded toils.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Travails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travails. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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