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
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
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
-
White southerners took great pains to keep track of men and women like Henry Fordham.—
Eugene Robinson,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
-
My adolescence was an ordinary one, its joys and pains small.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
While Walker took home the award, several members of Seattle’s defense turned in MVP-level efforts.—
Alex Valdes,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Instead, in an email to Blodget, a representative for Epstein’s philanthropic foundation said the foundation was hoping to remove the mugshot because doing so would help its research efforts.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In some Michigan counties, Medicaid covers more than half of all childbirths.—
Kristen Jordan Shamus,
Freep.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As luxury struggles to woo a young generation of consumers who have not yet accumulated enough wealth to drop five figures on a handbag, the cohort of twentysomethings has instead become enamored with more affordable fitness activities.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Karlic also struggles with strictly online classes, further limiting his options.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 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
-
Cohen said that Harpers, which is also 100 years old this year, strives to make its customers comfortable enough to just come in and visit without necessarily buying anything.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The 57-year-old now strives for something even more elusive and meaningful than success in the nation’s top baseball conference.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 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
-
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 13 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
