as in weeping
expressing or suggesting mourning
an anguished cry the military's explanation of the accident did nothing to console the anguished widow
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to
she was anguished by the fear that her sons would die in the war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grieved
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
I anguished over the loss of my father for years afterwards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of anguished
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2025
The anguished ending is divisive, but god if Liu doesn’t sell it.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2025
The Bostock ruling arrived against a backdrop of anguished soul-searching on the right.
—Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
The anguished frenzy reminded me of the scene across the street from then-Staples Center in those days after Kobe’s death, when thousands of people gravitated to that block of restaurants and bars and a purple-and-gold memorial grew.
—Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 25 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anguished
Adjective
What follows is Maria’s swift and anguished decline.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2025
The anguished ending is divisive, but god if Liu doesn’t sell it.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2025
The Bostock ruling arrived against a backdrop of anguished soul-searching on the right.
—Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025
The anguished frenzy reminded me of the scene across the street from then-Staples Center in those days after Kobe’s death, when thousands of people gravitated to that block of restaurants and bars and a purple-and-gold memorial grew.
—Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 25 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anguished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguished
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
The slow, mournful piano chords capture the somber bite of the scene with remarkable punch yet also a sobering stillness, and that’s before the elegiac words carry the song off into the sky.—
Daniel Dylan Wray,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2025
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Wynette’s mournful lyrics about a partner who has left—will one protagonist leave the other during the game’s main campaign?—to the sound of lonely, sad acoustic country music is the flip side of Wang Chung’s carefree spirit.—
Brady Gerber,
Vulture,
7 May 2025
Verb
-
Ringo was yellow submarines and octopus gardens, the mascot little brother, despite being the eldest Beatle, and the best at flittering above the feuds that afflicted the trio of geniuses around him.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Unfortunately, this fresh ailment has afflicted him for the majority of his 2024-25 run.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The people of Oklahoma and Grady County in particular mourned his passing.—
Richard Selcer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Mar. 2025
-
In response to the video, some social media users mourned the decline of PlayPlaces and similar play areas.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
On the internet, though, he is deemed as the heartbroken, brooding type because ...—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
25 May 2025
-
Agudelo made it through surgery Wednesday to relieve pressure on her brain but only has a 1% chance of ultimately surviving, her heartbroken daughter told the Daily News Thursday.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
Bright red ribbons decorate the trees and signposts of northwest suburban Niles in anticipation of a funeral procession and service today to honor Chicago Fire Department Capt. David Meyer, who was killed last week while battling a suspicious garage fire in the Austin neighborhood.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2025
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The funeral Mass for Pope Francis was attended by many world leaders including President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Still, Levi isn’t bitter and blames the reporter for trying to use Gunn to publicly shame him.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
22 May 2025
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Where Silverman radically departs from Strindberg’s bitter play is in their portrait of Tekla, who is a spikily delightful self-starter instead of the idiot-monster of the original.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
22 May 2025
Verb
-
In recent months, the Kennedy Center has been besieged by performance cancelations both voluntary and involuntary.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2025
-
At the start of the invasion, Russian troops besieged the city, forcing residents to endure harsh winter conditions without electricity or water under constant shelling from Russian artillery, missiles and drones.—
Illia Novikov,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anguished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguished. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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