anguish

American  

[ang-gwish] / ˈæŋ gwɪʃ /

noun

1. excruciating or acute distress, suffering, or pain.

   the anguish of grief.

   Synonyms:

   torture, torment, agony

   Antonyms:

   relief, comfort, delight

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verb (used with object)

1. to inflict with distress, suffering, or pain.

verb (used without object)

1. to suffer, feel, or exhibit anguish.

   to anguish over the loss of a loved one.

anguish British  

/ ˈæŋɡwɪʃ /

noun

1. extreme pain or misery; mental or physical torture; agony

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verb

1. to afflict or be afflicted with anguish

Related Words

See pain.

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; anxious

Example Sentences

But the former captain wants his players to learn from Thursday's anguish and approach the Northern Ireland friendly as they would a competitive fixture.

From BBC

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

If he endured personal anguish after the failure of his first marriage or the self-immolation of legacy journalism, we get no hint of it.

From The Wall Street Journal

Within the first 72 hours of a 26-day game, “Survivor 50,” featuring 24 veteran players, had already delivered feuding, anguish and heartbreak.

From Los Angeles Times

Adventure and anguish, horror and heaven were just around the corner, and we did not know.

From Literature

Related Words

• agony
• grief
• heartache
• heartbreak
• misery
• sorrow
• suffering
• torment
• woe