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
Relevance
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
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
There’s a certain seductive logic to the argument Hoult’s anguished protagonist makes for letting someone take the fall for his mistake.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anguished
Adjective
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
There’s a certain seductive logic to the argument Hoult’s anguished protagonist makes for letting someone take the fall for his mistake.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anguished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguished
Adjective
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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
-
This is a love story, after all, and one with a keen grasp of the mournful, curious glances between its two leads — of how much goes untranslated between them, and how much is conveyed.—
Sheri Linden,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
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In a circular frame at the center of the screen, still images and footage of the deceased played over the swelling, mournful music in a static shot anchoring the four-and-a-half-minute segment, which was capped off by a final photograph of Hackman.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
For example, the same researchers at Cornell University who invented the new goggles have previously shown a reduction in blood flow in the brains of mice afflicted with the condition.—
Michael Franco,
New Atlas,
29 Dec. 2024
-
Terrified, the patient almost reflexively asked her surgeon to remove both of her breasts, even though the cancer afflicted only one side.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Also Thursday, people mourned eight Palestinians killed by Israeli military operations in and around the city of Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.—
Josef Federman and Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Dec. 2024
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And yet, 32 games later, the transaction is barely mourned and hardly mentioned.—
John Romano,
Orlando Sentinel,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Since the release of his revered 2007 debut For Emma, Forever Ago – a cult-classic isolation record composed by a heartbroken Vernon in a cabin in the Wisconsin woods – the musician has transformed himself time and time again.—
Leah Lu,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2025
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His heartbroken wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, and their son, both U.S. citizens, have sued the government demanding his return.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The squads will rotate funeral duty to maintain their health.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Many of the items had been burned, suggesting that they might have been torched upon a funeral pyre, but no human remains were found amid the assemblage.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The bitter dispute recently tipped into its fourth consecutive month and has escalated.—
Anna Cooban,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2025
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What really set it apart was its unique flavor, with a bitter edge akin to horseradish or wasabi.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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After jumping out to a 9-2 start this season, the Phoenix Suns have sputtered over the past month as injuries have besieged their Big Three.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes,
26 Dec. 2024
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The wealthiest man in the world used his social media platform X to amplify the unrest, and GOP lawmakers were besieged with phone calls to their offices telling them to oppose the plan.—
Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking,
The Christian Science Monitor,
20 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Anguished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguished. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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