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

Both sides are frustratingly intransigent, but though Ms. Etura appears in only a few scenes, she makes Clara’s balance of anguish and guilt palpable.

From The Wall Street Journal

You can pick up shades of anguish in the actor’s delivery even when triumph is imminent.

From Salon

As she points out, “the ability to continue moving through one’s life even in the throes of depression makes the anguish no less real.”

From The Wall Street Journal

I woke up confident in my conclusions from the day before, and that made them seem like actual plans because I was thinking with logic now, rather than anguish.

From Literature

"The digging into the privacy of those people caused a lot of anguish in me."

From BBC

Related Words

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