Synonyms of tribulation

tribulation

noun

ˌtri-byə-ˈlā-shən 

as in distress

a state of great suffering of body or mind

a documentary chronicling the lasting tribulation of Holocaust survivors

Synonyms & Similar Words

• distress
• agony
• misery
• anguish
• pain
• discomfort
• torment
• torture
• travail
• woe
• sorrow
• affliction
• excruciation
• hardship
• hurt
• sadness
• pang
• rack
• difficulty
• heartbreak
• strait(s)
• trouble
• danger
• heartache
• emergency
• trial
• crucible
• unhappiness
• cross
• ache
• joylessness
• jeopardy
• soreness
• stitch
• pinch
• rigor
• twinge
• throe
• asperity
• smarting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• comfort
• relief
• consolation
• solace
• ease
• alleviation
• security
• peace
• assuagement
• well-being

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tribulation

My job is going to be to provide stability and respite from the tribulations beyond our threshold, to be one of the not-bad things that happen to her in a life where bad things inevitably will. — Raven Smith, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2026

The new film, which is both written and directed by the franchise’s longtime screenwriter John Hamburg, sees Grande play Olivia Jones, the fiancé of Pam and Greg Focker’s son who now has to endure the tribulations of meeting the parents (and grandparents) before joining the family. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 15 Apr. 2026

That was Mark Critchley’s cue to interview Maguire about his tribulations in Manchester (and his harder times with the England national team, too). — Phil Hay, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026

Initially unsure of one another, Agnes and Daisy must nevertheless weather the common tribulations of girlhood together, which take on nightmarish new valences inside Gilead. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 2026

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