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
  • Research supports this, showing that accepting difficult feelings leads to faster recovery and less long-term distress compared to suppression, which can worsen anxiety and depression.
    — Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • The environment of a busy pool may trigger sensory overload and distress, causing children to cry or want to leave.
    — Tana Carson, The Conversation, 17 July 2026
Definition of distress
Noun
  • For nearly three weeks, 21-year-old Denijah Myers has been missing, and her family is in agony.
    — Francie Ebert, NBC news, 13 July 2026
  • Wells’s parents expressed their own version of that agony at a press conference with Crump on Friday in New York City.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 13 July 2026
Definition of agony
Noun
  • Not to be outdone, other tick species are also spreading out and causing more misery.
    — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • Nobody, save biblical Job, has had more misery hurled at them.
    — Alex Pulaski, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of misery
Noun
  • Yet, outside the excellently claustrophobic Trojan Horse scenes, Nolan is more interested in exploring his anguish than his spoils.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • Your mind fills with all the defeats; all the anguish of mistakes made and opportunities missed.
    — Kristine Fischer, Outdoor Life, 16 July 2026
Definition of anguish
Noun
  • The patient must be in an advanced or terminal stage, experiencing pain that cannot be relieved or is unbearable, and seeking lethal medication of their own free will.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 July 2026
  • Numbing all that pain by going on The Lost Weekend-style binges of booze and drugs.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 15 July 2026
Definition of pain

Browse Nearby Words

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 21 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on tribulation

Nglish: Translation of tribulation for Spanish Speakers

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