: extreme pain, distress, or anxiety
cries of anguish
mental anguish
anguished; anguishing; anguishes
: to suffer anguish
He anguished over his failure.
: to cause to suffer anguish
a heart that had been anguished with sorrow
Synonyms
Examples of anguish in a Sentence
Noun
He experienced the anguish of divorce after 10 years of marriage.
They watched in anguish as fire spread through the house.
Verb
she was anguished by the fear that her sons would die in the war
I anguished over the loss of my father for years afterwards.
Recent Examples on the Web
Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024
The plot is on the heavy side: The Innocents plays with the mental anguish of a person desperately trying to make sense of the world around them while simultaneously dealing with their own emotional turmoil.
—B.j. Colangelo, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2024
Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2024
So we’re anguished to see the GOP, the only viable alternative party to the Democratic Party, make this its final pitch.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for anguish 
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Noun
The silent anguish that Charles describes has dangerous real-world ramifications: After the death of a spouse, widowers experience higher rates of mortality, persistent depression, and social isolation than widows do.
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024
The plot is on the heavy side: The Innocents plays with the mental anguish of a person desperately trying to make sense of the world around them while simultaneously dealing with their own emotional turmoil.
—B.j. Colangelo, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2024
Verb
Trump has won voters who once voted for FDR, and Democrats will anguish over how to get them back without alienating the other parts of their coalition, including women, young people and people of color.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 5 Nov. 2024
So we’re anguished to see the GOP, the only viable alternative party to the Democratic Party, make this its final pitch.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for anguish
Dictionary Entries Near anguish
Cite this Entry
“Anguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anguish. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
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