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
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
22 June 2026
Gaudette used a series of AI tools — and not a single actor, producer or crew member — to tell his tender story of a man who, for all his travails, hardly wallows in his station.
—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2026
Its current travails are likely to be a model for the nation too.
—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
11 June 2026
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
Noun
Despite their travails in Tehran, the atmosphere in the cafe felt lax, with many women not heeding the country’s law requiring women to cover their heads and the shape of their bodies.
—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
22 June 2026
Gaudette used a series of AI tools — and not a single actor, producer or crew member — to tell his tender story of a man who, for all his travails, hardly wallows in his station.
—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2026
Its current travails are likely to be a model for the nation too.
—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
11 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travails
Noun
-
The colors, pains, pleasures, smells, tastes and sounds, the what-it’s-like of being conscious, are not private inner bits and blobs that philosophers call qualia, floating in a theatre of the mind.
-
Unfortunately, days before the ceremony, Nelson began experiencing chest pains while visiting with a friend.
Noun
-
Populations have since gradually recovered due to conservation efforts.
-
Despite lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced dead on the scene.
Noun
-
Many women may not be aware at all that private details of their childbirths were shared with law enforcement.
-
In some Michigan counties, Medicaid covers more than half of all childbirths.
Verb
-
The introvert who generates extraordinary individual insight but struggles to inspire large groups gets an extroverted deputy to do the rallying.
-
When Little John struggles to describe his dream girl, Robin instructs his protegee to sketch an image with words.
Noun
-
The reticence of Cartland’s heroes belies agonies of loneliness.
-
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.
Noun
-
Justine Siegemund, a German midwife who learned her practice by studying books, was often asked to consult on complex labors.
-
Ray struggles to hide his drink, to get a drink, to get away on his own and pursue his Sisyphean labors of hammering a bucket of baseballs off a tee and then wandering through the field to collect them and start again.
Noun
-
The long-wheelbase version began deliveries earlier this month in Malaysia.
-
Considering just a few grocery deliveries can offset the cost, the savings can add up quickly for frequent shoppers.
Verb
-
Alan Stanton said the conservative county strives not to overregulate in general.
-
New legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of senators strives to add new aircraft to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Hunter fleet and codify the agency’s role in meteorological research.
Cite this Entry
“Travails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travails. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
