anguish

[ang-gwish]

noun

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

   the anguish of grief.

   Synonyms: torture, torment, agony
   Antonyms: relief, comfort, delight

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

/ ˈæŋɡwɪʃ /

noun

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

verb

1. to afflict or be afflicted with anguish

Word History and Origins

Origin of anguish¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English anguisse, from Old French, from Latin angustia “tight place,” from angust(us) “narrow” + -ia -ia; anxious

Word History and Origins

Origin of anguish¹

C13: from Old French angoisse a strangling, from Latin angustia narrowness, from angustus narrow

Synonym Study

See pain.

Example Sentences

Yet mental strategies are the most effective ways they’ve found to alleviate their anguish—all year long.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

With his brother still trapped in a war zone, Xolani speaks of his family's anguish.

Read more on BBC

The mood in Hong Kong has shifted from shock to anguish, as questions grow regarding who should be held accountable for the blaze.

Read more on BBC

They said the “widespread publication of information about the home where his wife and young children reside” had also “exposed him to heightened security risks and caused him significant anguish and distress.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Oedipus’ rectitude and gleaming self-confidence were so palpable that as he grappled with the slow drip of dark revelations about his past—and present—his increasing disorientation and anguish were excruciating to watch.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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