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anguish

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word anguish different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of anguish are grief, regret, sorrow, and woe. While all these words mean "distress of mind," anguish suggests torturing grief or dread.

the anguish felt by the parents of the kidnapped child

When could grief be used to replace anguish?

The words grief and anguish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, grief implies poignant sorrow for an immediate cause.

the inexpressible grief of the bereaved parents

When can regret be used instead of anguish?

Although the words regret and anguish have much in common, regret implies pain caused by deep disappointment, fruitless longing, or unavailing remorse.

nagging regret for missed opportunities

When might sorrow be a better fit than anguish?

While the synonyms sorrow and anguish are close in meaning, sorrow implies a sense of loss or a sense of guilt and remorse.

a family united in sorrow upon the patriarch's death

When would woe be a good substitute for anguish?

The meanings of woe and anguish largely overlap; however, woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery.

cries of woe echoed throughout the bombed city

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 anguish
Noun
The lawsuit seeks damages for medical and burial expenses and mental pain and anguish. Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 5 Mar. 2025 Her teammates surrounded her, doing their best to block her anguish from the view of nearby photographers, before trainers arrived to help her. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
Abraham Lincoln hated the death penalty and anguished over every case in which he was asked to commute it. The Editors, National Review, 16 Dec. 2024 Trump has won voters who once voted for FDR, and Democrats will anguish over how to get them back without alienating the other parts of their coalition, including women, young people and people of color. Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for anguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguish
Noun
  • At the Santa Monica test location after the rains, the level of beryllium — a metal that is toxic to fish and corals and causes respiratory distress in humans — was more than 10 times the maximum limit allowed.
    Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The result: Some doctors and hospitals have held back on treatments, waiting for the fetal heartbeat to stop or for patients to wind up in undeniable distress.
    Kavitha Surana, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • His eyes filled with sorrow as his mom gave Lola all the attention.
    John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Emotions and sorrow were palpable even though Prine has been dead for nearly five years.
    Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The community support comes at an apartment complex that both residents say is plagued with drugs and violence.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2025
  • The firm works heavily with the community surrounding the market and carries a mission to identify and establish alternatives to the pitfalls plaguing fashion’s current business model including overproduction and greenwashing.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Not just consuming but diving in, getting outraged, grieving, swooning.
    Leila Herrmann, Vogue, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Bravo’s grieving family were further frustrated by the California Highway Patrol’s decision not to issue an Amber Alert — the statewide alert activated by authorities to help find missing children — after Lee and the children disappeared.
    Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • With espresso especially, the right grinder can be the difference between ecstasy, agony, and simple defeat.
    Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 1 Apr. 2025
  • According to the outlet, the agony caused Cornett to remove her name outside her dorm room, temporarily relocate to emergency housing, switch to online classes and continue to spend most of her time in her room.
    David Chiu, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • But grief and a hunger for justice will do that to a man, especially one with the wired intensity of Rami Malek.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2025
  • This sends Charlie down a rabbit hole of indescribable grief.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The Roman authorities persecuted Christians harshly, subjecting them to torture and deaths even more gruesome than crucifixion.
    Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025
  • The former president has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and says he's being politically persecuted.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Toronto has, for years, been aching for a superstar to stay in its midst.
    Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • That day, an elbow that ached throughout his rehab from Tommy John surgery gave way.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Anguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguish. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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