1
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
no greater travail than that of parents who have suffered the death of a child
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in labor
very hard or unpleasant work
these villagers now have decent housing, so our travail has not been in vain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in childbirth
the act or process of giving birth to children
a midwife assisted her throughout her long travail
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort
Labor Day is the day on which we recognize those men and women who daily travail with little appreciation or compensation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of travail
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 June 2025
Its meta nature, a game about the travails of making a game, offers insight into a creation process that’s often seen as mysterious.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Yue Wang, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
For Zegler, making her British stage debut, Evita must seem like a haven of sorts after her travails with the controversy that grew around Snow White, where her casting was subject to racist attacks on social media about her Colombian heritage.
—Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for travail
Noun
That places an onerous burden on Henson, doing her considerable best trying to sustain a role whose Job-like travails crank the distress level to 11 too soon.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 June 2025
Its meta nature, a game about the travails of making a game, offers insight into a creation process that’s often seen as mysterious.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
Zhong Shanshan, founder and chairman of beverage giant Nongfu Spring, has reclaimed his crown as China’s richest person amid a turnaround of his business and family travails at top rival Hangzhou Wahaha Group.
—Yue Wang, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
For Zegler, making her British stage debut, Evita must seem like a haven of sorts after her travails with the controversy that grew around Snow White, where her casting was subject to racist attacks on social media about her Colombian heritage.
—Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for travail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travail
Noun
-
Extreme heat can also be an obstacle to exercising, spending time in nature, and socializing, all of which can make people feel good and also double as important coping mechanisms for emotional distress.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
26 July 2025
-
The lawsuit alleges both Transdev, which contracts with Boston Public Schools to provide bus transportation, and the driver Jean Charles were negligent and inflicted emotional distress on the family.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
25 July 2025
Noun
-
Over 500 hospitals in the U.S. have closed their labor and delivery units since 2010, including some in South Florida.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Part-time working mothers do 2.4 times as much child care and household labor as part-time working fathers.—
Lauren Giella,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The Fantastic Four: First Steps boasts positive themes centering on the strength of family, the beauty of childbirth, and protecting the next generation.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
23 July 2025
-
Pregnant people living in states with bans are twice as likely to die during childbirth as in states without bans.—
Claire Laurier Decoteau,
Chicago Tribune,
8 July 2025
Verb
-
Crisler said Milton struggles with alcohol addiction and was sober working for four months at a Chipotle restaurant, but a relapse resulted in the April 25 break-in.—
Quinlan Bentley,
The Enquirer,
3 Aug. 2025
-
In 1995, Anderson released her autobiography My Life in Heels, which detailed her relationship with Reynolds and her struggles to keep her family together.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
With his wife in agony, Jason Nixdorf had a chance encounter with Zach Veigulis, a former chief data scientist at the Department of Veterans Affairs who was co-founding a company to help patients battle insurance company denials.—
Gretchen Morgenson,
NBC news,
18 July 2025
-
Thank God that my family members could get vaccinated and have been free of the pain and agony of these illnesses.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
The fire suppression efforts involve 48 engines, three water tenders, one helicopter and five hand crews.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
3 Aug. 2025
-
The second effort occurred following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, with some Republicans in the House - most notably Liz Cheney - breaking from the party and supporting the effort to impeach.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Park Chan Uk, who is VP of live entertainment for CJ ENM, said KCON strives to curate different genres and artist types.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
2 Aug. 2025
-
Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) strives to provide encryption algorithms that are resilient to quantum attacks.—
Chuck Brooks,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
But the first lady and I are here in Texas to express the love and support and the anguish of our entire nation in the aftermath of this really horrific and deadly flood.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
11 July 2025
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Ming-Na Wen Tapped Into Deep Emotions To Play Dr. Fong In ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ While Ming-Na Wen doesn’t throw a punch in Karate Kid: Legends, that doesn’t mean her character hasn’t been in past battles, particularly those dealing with mental anguish.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Travail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travail. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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