1
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
as a new teacher, she was in real anguish over the decision to report the cheating
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2
as in sorrow
deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved
words can't express my anguish at losing my cat
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1
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
she was anguished by the fear that her sons would die in the war
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2
as in to grieve
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
I anguished over the loss of my father for years afterwards
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of anguish
Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
Gens, the Jewish chief of police for the Vilna ghetto, an area designated specifically for Jews in Lithuania during World War II, carried the anguish with him, according to his family.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 27 Jan. 2026
Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Diddy’s anguished plea for mercy.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anguish
Noun
The film has more than its share of anguish, but that's no reason for audiences to avoid it.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
Gens, the Jewish chief of police for the Vilna ghetto, an area designated specifically for Jews in Lithuania during World War II, carried the anguish with him, according to his family.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
But the intellectual self-questioning and anguished artistic experimentation that began in the early twentieth century after the annihilation of Europe’s old verities did not find fertile ground in the United States, either before the war or after it.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
Diddy’s anguished plea for mercy.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguish
Noun
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Office conversions to residential, especially in New York City, are also helping mitigate some of the distress.—
Diana Olick,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Only four districts face significant fiscal distress — a decline from prior years.—
John Manly,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Buckley navigates the film in elemental sorrow without sentimentality, delivering what many consider the performance of the year, and undoubtedly her career so far.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
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Now, their families are turning sorrow into service.—
Ashley Paul,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In recent years, neighborhoods ranging from Hancock Park and Lincoln Heights to Mar Vista and Pico Union have been plagued by copper wire theft that darkens the streets.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
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Christie has been one of the most consistent Mavericks in a season plagued by inconsistency.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As the shellshocked families of six children and two women grieve their loss in one of the worst mass shootings in Canada's history, details are emerging about the shooter's mental health struggles and history with police.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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For Le, the coffee shop serves as a community space where customers feel free to grieve and share their experiences with loss.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Laocoön and His Sons, an exquisite marble sculpture of the legendary Trojan priest writhing in agony as he’s attacked by sea-serpents, was first unearthed in the early sixteenth-century, the only missing piece his right arm.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Steven McDonald, a fallen hero of the department who channeled the agony of three devastating gunshot wounds into an enduring message of peace and forgiveness.—
Barry Williams,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In the r/MyBoyfriendisAI subreddit, many users posted about their grief.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
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As her power-hungry characters go through the five stages of grief, denial is the hardest one to let go of.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Secret Agent’s primary setting is a house full of misfits and refugees in the northeastern city of Recife, a safe harbor from those persecuted by the country’s military regime, ruled over by the inimitable Dona Sebastiana (Tânia Maria, whose role was written specifically for her).—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
6 Feb. 2026
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His previously peaceful world had been shattered when Vilna was occupied by the German army three months before and soon the Germans began to persecute and arrest Jews.—
Dr. Michael Good,
Hartford Courant,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That hand must have ached profoundly by the time the group departed.—
Harold Holzer,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
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As his wrist and back still ached from the treehouse fall, Smith’s heart broke next.—
Andrew Callahan,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguish. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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