anguish
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
anguishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
anguished,
past participle, past
-
anguishing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
anguishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
anguished,
past participle, past
-
anguishing
present participle
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
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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:
Sabrina, the owner of a real-estate business, documented his anguish in a TikTok video that has received more than three million likes since August.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
When he turns, we turn, and the anguish that Garfield wordlessly conveys is our compass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
In the Commons on Wednesday, Burnham said he understood the "anguish" of victims and "listened to what they were saying".
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
In Australia, home to a 3,000-strong Tibetan community, exiles were in anguish about family in Tibet.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Yet she could know that he never forgot what her anguish would be when he died.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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
If the status quo triumphs, his enemies will have to find a new scapegoat for the anguishes of a divided city in the throes of reinvention.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2022
She anguishes over how she can possibly keep him safe.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 11, 2022
It ends with Chris Mason Johnson’s “Test,” whose main character, a young male dancer in 1985 San Francisco, anguishes about whether to be tested for H.I.V.
From New York Times ● Aug. 30, 2013
Anne used to wonder, in her dignified anguishes of love forbidden, if she could ever make him understand how he looked when he smiled.
From Old Crow by Alice Brown
As the play opens Bach is anguished by the illness of one of his many children—he sired 20, although only half made it to adulthood—and alarmed by his failing eyesight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
There are anguished conversations with parents who are desperate for their child to be kept alive, despite doctors saying there is no hope.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
"All of us, including the volunteers and support teams are deeply anguished," the Hindu guru, whose real name is Jagdish Vasudev, added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
With 30-odd years in television, Walker has benefited from, and anguished over, the many changes in the industry, including the increasing number of female producers and executives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
He couldn't bear to see their anguished faces.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Saying goodbye to them had been the single most anguishing moment of my entire life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
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
I barely knew him, and yet, somehow, not knowing when I would see him again after tonight was anguishing.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
