tribulation

noun

ˌtri-byə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce tribulation (audio)
Definition of tribulationnext
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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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 tribulation 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 The novel makes clear the particular tribulations faced by a biracial woman for whom claiming membership in either race inevitably means excluding the other. — Nicky Marsh, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Mar. 2026 The husband-and-wife filmmakers behind the Iranian doc short Cutting Through Rocks, who had faced their own tribulations, were right there. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tribulation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tribulation
  1. distress
  2. agony
  3. misery
  4. anguish
  5. pain
Noun
  • Lewbel said distress detection is no longer a feature of Flock's system, but did not respond to questions about what led to that decision or whether it had ever been used by law enforcement.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 11 July 2026
  • However, evidence of an ancient alien civilization and a frantic distress call from deep space instantly cut those celebrations short.
    — Paul Brett, Space.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of distress
Noun
  • Rojas said the earthquakes have caused agony for Venezuelan players, even those who didn’t lose family or friends.
    — Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2026
  • There were the two calls in September, one about a detainee who lay on the floor holding his stomach in agony and unable to speak after swallowing an unknown object.
    — Perla Trevizo, ProPublica, 3 July 2026
Definition of agony
Noun
  • Nobody, save biblical Job, has had more misery hurled at them.
    — Alex Pulaski, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Salvador Perez added to Sanchez's misery with his 11th home run in the second.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 July 2026
Definition of misery
Noun
  • Andrade said the absence of an official passenger manifest deepened the anguish of dozens of families awaiting the arrival of Flight 164.
    — Sonia Osorio, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
  • The series depicts the anguish of an interrupted boyhood and the awakening of a child’s conscience as their safest spaces erode.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 July 2026
Definition of anguish
Noun
  • Ultimately, the board determined that the long-term community benefits of the Sunrise project outweighed the short-term pain of displacing Silverado residents.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • There might be a little bit of pain, but there's a lot of good ways to manage that.
    — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 8 July 2026
Definition of pain

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tribes
tribulation
tribulations
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Cite this Entry

“Tribulation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tribulation. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on tribulation

Nglish: Translation of tribulation for Spanish Speakers

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