TRAVAILS Synonyms: 175 Similar and Opposite Words

travails 1 of 2

noun

plural of travail

as in pains

a state of great suffering of body or mind no greater travail than that of parents who have suffered the death of a child

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in efforts

very hard or unpleasant work these villagers now have decent housing, so our travail has not been in vain

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as in childbirths

the act or process of giving birth to children a midwife assisted her throughout her long travail

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travails

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of travail

as in struggles

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

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of travails

Noun

But through all the travails of a second consecutive 10th-place finish, developmental strides were made, tangible growth spurts for what could follow. —

Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 13 May 2026 Article continues below ‘The Godfather’ (1972) Watch On Director Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster epic, an adaptation of Mario Puzo’s best-selling 1969 novel, offers a sweeping look at the travails of the Corleone mafia family. —

David Faris, TheWeek, 29 Apr. 2026 Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury division, has been stuck in a malaise for years now in large part tied to the travails of its corporate parent, but, lately, there have been some signs of life, including, possibly, a new manual performance sedan. —

Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2026 Consider the recent travails of bride-to-be Lauren Johnson. —

Editorial Board, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2026 Set in the late 90’s, the comedy follows the trials and travails of Chester (Dan Beirne), a cartoonist and Sonny (Emily Lê), a TV host, who are in a long-term, committed, romantic relationship until Sonny introduces the idea of opening up the couple. —

Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2026 Porkchop has persevered through her travails. —

Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026 Everton will no doubt have ended the game content with a point, given their first-half travails. —

Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026 This biography tracks the triumphs and the travails of the twentieth-century Hungarian photographer André Kertész. —

The New Yorker, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for travails

Noun

Ebola causes a hemorrhagic fever, with symptoms that start with fever, aches, pains and fatigue before progressing to diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding, according to the public health agency.

— Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
But in the four years between the two terms, Xi had taken pains to ensure this tactic would no longer work, with export controls on rare earth metals that are indispensable to American arms manufacturers and carmakers.

— Rob Crilly, The Washington Examiner, 15 May 2026