as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
a documentary chronicling the lasting tribulation of Holocaust survivors
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Recent Examples of tribulation
The 30-year-old Somali American, who also co-owns a Mediterranean restaurant in the same area experiencing similar economic tribulations, described his coffee shops as local melting pots for Muslims and non-Muslims, East Africans and White people.
—
Yahya Salem, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Directed by Craig Brewer, it’s based on a 2008 documentary by the same name, available to watch on YouTube, about Lightning & Thunder’s triumphs and tribulations.
—Piet Levy, jsonline.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Plenty of male filmmakers have successfully aligned themselves with the daily tribulations of women — hello to the Dardenne brothers and Éric Rohmer, amongst others.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 16 Feb. 2026
Getting forced to play little league baseball is about as emo as youthful tribulations get.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tribulation
Yahya Salem, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Directed by Craig Brewer, it’s based on a 2008 documentary by the same name, available to watch on YouTube, about Lightning & Thunder’s triumphs and tribulations.
—Piet Levy, jsonline.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Plenty of male filmmakers have successfully aligned themselves with the daily tribulations of women — hello to the Dardenne brothers and Éric Rohmer, amongst others.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 16 Feb. 2026
Getting forced to play little league baseball is about as emo as youthful tribulations get.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tribulation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tribulation
Noun
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The lawsuit filed by the girl's parents alleges wrongful death, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Research indicates that retirees who define themselves primarily through their careers are vulnerable to prolonged distress.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The public markets’ agony may for the foreseeable future make assets less expensive, while AI urgency remains high.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
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After walking for just a few minutes, their legs would painfully freeze up, as if turning to rock — an agony no doctor could explain.—
Alexandra Sifferlin,
STAT,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And through all this, Saariaho’s elaborately beautiful orchestration scintillates, jabs, caresses, and swerves, giving all that vivid misery a sheen of lyric glamour.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
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Fighting the obligations of motherhood leads to misery.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Large statues of the Virgin Mary show her in various states of mourning, even in anguish.—
Alexis Marshall,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
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Without a diagnosis, people are unsure about how a condition might progress over time, and this can be a great source of anguish for both patients and their families.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Bank, a New York surgeon who founded a clinic focused on post-mastectomy pain, said the pain is believed to be triggered by nerves that are severed during surgery and then left that way.—
Brett Kelman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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Falter said there was some lingering pain on Wednesday.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tribulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tribulation. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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