as in pains
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 tribulations
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
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
Ownership struggles, wars, economic collapses, and the ever-evolving tribulations of the automotive business brought constant change.
—James Raia, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
Set outside of Carson City, Nevada, during the 1860s on a fictional ranch called Ponderosa, the show followed the adventures and tribulations of the Cartwright family.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 18 Feb. 2026
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
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
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
Ownership struggles, wars, economic collapses, and the ever-evolving tribulations of the automotive business brought constant change.
—James Raia, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
Set outside of Carson City, Nevada, during the 1860s on a fictional ranch called Ponderosa, the show followed the adventures and tribulations of the Cartwright family.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 18 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tribulations
Noun
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Acer was also at pains to point out the large performance differential between the RTX 5070 Ti and the vanilla RTX 5070, which sounds similar.—
John Burek,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
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The closure of the Strait of Hormuz compounded the pains of militia attacks, forcing Iraq to declare force-majeure on foreign-run oil operations and curtail production.—
Nabil Salih,
Time,
26 May 2026
Noun
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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.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
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The agonies of the day were only intermittently audible in the music on offer in Witten.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
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The sad thing is that the miseries return, but there is no other Garrincha available.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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The parallels between Ines’ dilemma and that of a nation being asked to lick its wounds in silence — in the name of moving on from past miseries — are present but elusive.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tribulations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tribulations. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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