anguish
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Synonym Usage
See pain.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
anguishsimple
-
anguishessimple
-
have anguishedperfect
-
has anguishedperfect
-
am anguishingprogressive
-
are anguishingprogressive
-
is anguishingprogressive
-
have been anguishingperfect progressive
-
has been anguishingperfect progressive
Past
-
anguishedsimple
-
had anguishedperfect
-
was anguishingprogressive
-
were anguishingprogressive
-
had been anguishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of anguish
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English anguisse, from Old French, from Latin angustia “tight place,” from angust(us) “narrow” + -ia -ia; cf. anxious
Explanation
The noun anguish refers to severe physical or emotional pain or distress. A trip to the dentist might cause a cavity-prone person a lot of anguish. We get this word from a Latin word, angustus, which literally meant "narrow" but developed the figurative sense of "distressed" — think of being choked off or forced into a small space. In modern times anguish has been in the English with the parallel and related meanings of "physical torment" and "emotional suffering." Both kinds might be experienced at the hands of a dentist who likes to make his patients squirm in agony.
Vocabulary lists containing anguish
The Hate U Give
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Esperanza Rising
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In a move that provoked anguish among affected families, Bush was granted conditional bail after entering his final guilty pleas in April.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
But Nolan puts the anguish of the war at the center of his movie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Man’s eternal anguish about understanding his gods’ desires provides a solemn core.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Another user, who said they had spent more than two years with their AI companion, expressed similar anguish.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
But he’d seen the anguish on his father’s face; he knew that Mrs. Jeong had waited too long before bringing Mija to the clinic.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
There are few things Americans agree on these days, but one is a shared delight in the anguishes of the Durham, N.C., basketball behemoth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
That the centerpiece of his monstrous scene is a split-open bag of cement anguishes the heart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2022
Kendall never asks this question outright — she takes it as a given and anguishes “when the people who are supposed to be your allies on one axis are your oppressors on another.”
From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2020
Their anguishes are likewise balanced, so you never know where to land your sympathy.
From New York Times ● Oct. 3, 2018
It commences thus: "As to th' Eternall often in anguishes Erst have I called, never unanswered, Againe I call, againe I calling Doubt not againe to receave an answer."
From Notes and Queries, Vol. IV, Number 90, July 19, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Geneologists, etc. by Various
There were anguished gasps from the crowd as Gauff, in total control of the point, snatched at a drop shot and sent it sinking into the net.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Watching Adrian on video seems to make for an anguished paradox: The more he sees him, the more absolute his absence feels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
That kind of anguished, not-funny witticism is another commonplace of the American educated classes: OMG, what has happened to this country?
From Salon ● May 31, 2026
"Come and help me! I'm on the front line in Ukraine, I'm fighting for Russia," he begged Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema in an anguished voice message sent to his parents.
From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026
The exhausted Humbug swayed and tottered on his rubbery legs, a look of longing on his anguished face.
From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster
Emerson recalled an occasion when he was forced to sit in silence for a long time during a session, which he found anguishing.
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2025
In the midst of an anguishing public health failure, some researchers are questioning the very way we determine who is at risk of suicide.
From Slate ● May 20, 2024
Experts say it's not just the hostage families who are trapped in an anguishing wait.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2024
That pays off grandly, as Berniece, the picture of stability, squares off with the erratic Boy Willie over the sale of the family heirloom — a piano inlaid with carved figures from anguishing Black history.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 2, 2022
The pig squirms all over the ground, and its squeals become deeper and more anguishing.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
