ANGUISH Synonyms: 253 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'anguish' different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of anguish are grief , regret , sorrow , and woe . While all these words mean "distress of mind," anguish suggests torturing grief or dread. // the anguish felt by the parents of the kidnapped child

Q: When could 'grief' be used to replace 'anguish'?

The words grief and anguish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, grief implies poignant sorrow for an immediate cause. // the inexpressible grief of the bereaved parents

Q: When can 'regret' be used instead of 'anguish'?

Although the words regret and anguish have much in common, regret implies pain caused by deep disappointment, fruitless longing, or unavailing remorse. // nagging regret for missed opportunities

Q: When might 'sorrow' be a better fit than 'anguish'?

While the synonyms sorrow and anguish are close in meaning, sorrow implies a sense of loss or a sense of guilt and remorse. // a family united in sorrow upon the patriarch's death

Q: When would 'woe' be a good substitute for 'anguish'?

The meanings of woe and anguish largely overlap; however, woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery. // cries of woe echoed throughout the bombed city

anguish 1 of 2

noun

ˈaŋ-gwish

Definition of anguish

as in distress

a state of great suffering of body or mind as a new teacher, she was in real anguish over the decision to report the cheating

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as in sorrow

deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved words can't express my anguish at losing my cat

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anguish

2 of 2

verb

as in to plague

to cause persistent suffering to she was anguished by the fear that her sons would die in the war

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as in to grieve

to feel deep sadness or mental pain I anguished over the loss of my father for years afterwards

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word anguish different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of anguish are grief, regret, sorrow, and woe. While all these words mean "distress of mind," anguish suggests torturing grief or dread.

the anguish felt by the parents of the kidnapped child

When could grief be used to replace anguish?

The words grief and anguish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, grief implies poignant sorrow for an immediate cause.

the inexpressible grief of the bereaved parents

When can regret be used instead of anguish?

Although the words regret and anguish have much in common, regret implies pain caused by deep disappointment, fruitless longing, or unavailing remorse.

nagging regret for missed opportunities

When might sorrow be a better fit than anguish?

While the synonyms sorrow and anguish are close in meaning, sorrow implies a sense of loss or a sense of guilt and remorse.

a family united in sorrow upon the patriarch's death

When would woe be a good substitute for anguish?

The meanings of woe and anguish largely overlap; however, woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery.

cries of woe echoed throughout the bombed city

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of anguish

Noun

Meta calls the suit an unprecedented cash grab by prosecutors looking to burnish their populist credentials with a public eager to pin the blame for flagging test scores and exploding teen anguish on the wealthy tech titan. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Her boisterous pre-teen twins Ethan and Caleb are too young to grasp quite what’s at stake; high school sophomore Sophie (Sandler) has rather more vivid memories of going through this anguish before. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026

Verb

Hong Kong is an anguishing example. — Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026 Especially for someone whose entire adult life has been immersed in the adrenaline-infusion of coaching — from its exhilarating highs and anguishing lows to simply always being in the middle of so much. — Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for anguish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguish

Noun

Its movements and squeaks change in response to the person interacting with it, giving caregivers another way to reduce distress and encourage engagement.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
He was found kneeling in front of a piano and striking the keys, in apparent distress.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of distress

Noun

The day ended in that same quad with feelings of sorrow, grief, shock and confusion.

— PJ Green August 30, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
Going back to the Mets example, perhaps in an uber-technical sense a Mets’ loss could have marginal economic impact as some fans guzzle more beer to drown away their sorrows.

— Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of sorrow

Verb

The research team identified opportunities to improve the atomic layer etching (ALE) approach, which offers significant advantages over the conventional methods but was plagued by difficulties for practical use.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Troubles from the start The groundbreaking attraction, which Six Flags has sunk millions of dollars into, was plagued with problems from the outset.

— Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of plague

Verb

Crump was flanked by three sets of grieving Black families who have all lost their sons in recent months.

— Ryan Young, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
The grieving husband said Soto de Guzman wanted to take their son to Santo Domingo on the day after she was killed and had already booked a flight, but the son was in the midst of a mental health crisis.

— Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of grieve

Noun

Bugs Bunny jams himself against the edge and grits his teeth in agony.

— Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
The striking bronze sculpture depicts an outstretched arm reaching to the sky as hundreds of small human figures cling to it and each other with expressions of agony.

— Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of agony

Noun

Moving between Paris and Belo Horizonte, the film explores grief, migration, Black identity and the invisible ties connecting women across generations.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
Asked about previously describing the aftermath as losing more than half of his family — including Nick — Jake acknowledged that his brother’s arrest has compounded his grief.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of grief

Verb

García Luna pledged to restore independence and public confidence in the Public Ministry and began reviewing cases involving officials, journalists, and others who alleged that they had been politically persecuted under the previous administration.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
Other Eurasian emperors of the time also did not persecute occult practitioners as Ivan did in the lead-up to the second oprichnina, actions more in line with attitudes in early modern Christian Europe than those common among rulers of Asia.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of persecute

Verb

Green lasers shot out into the crowd, revealing the faces of fans who’d waited all night on aching feet to see their favorites.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
About one out of five people infected with West Nile virus develop symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, or rash.

— Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of ache

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anguished

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Style

“Anguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguish. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of anguish

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