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travail

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun travail contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of travail are drudgery, grind, labor, toil, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

In what contexts can drudgery take the place of travail?

The words drudgery and travail can be used in similar contexts, but drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When would grind be a good substitute for travail?

Although the words grind and travail have much in common, grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When is it sensible to use labor instead of travail?

While in some cases nearly identical to travail, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When could toil be used to replace travail?

The meanings of toil and travail largely overlap; however, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When might work be a better fit than travail?

The words work and travail are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

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 travail
Noun
But anybody who's ever been in a relationship or been torn between potential significant others can relate to the romantic travails of British singleton Bridget Jones. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2025 China’s Underground Historians and Their Battle for the Future by Ian Johnson Sigrid Nunez A Hero for Cro-MAGA Times Charles Baxter’s new novel follows the moral travails of a rock-steady insurance salesman in a dystopian Ohio backwater. James Gleick, The New York Review of Books, 7 Feb. 2025
Verb
Clap back:DeSantis criticizes 'daily drama' of Trump's leadership style, ratcheting up growing tensions Trump travails:Is Donald Trump being arrested? David Jackson, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2023 See All Example Sentences for travail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travail
Noun
  • At Yosemite, a group of protesters also hung a 30-by-50-foot U.S. flag upside down—historically a symbol of dire distress—off the side of El Capitan, the park’s iconic sheer cliff face, on February 22 to raise awareness about the administration’s cuts.
    Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Get ahead of a tween’s difficult feelings by recognizing the early signs of emotional distress, such as disruption in sleep and less interest in their hobbies, and reroute all-or-nothing thoughts, suggests Daniel Huy, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at Hackensack Meridian Health.
    Sherri Gordon, Parents, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • If stricter immigration policies are enforced, this could lead to a construction labor shortage, further complicating housing affordability.
    William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
  • The Smith Act trials sounded the death knell for the nineteen-thirties Popular Front, when Communists, Socialists, progressives, and liberals had worked together—or at least tried to—on issues such as antifascism, racial justice, and labor rights.
    Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • That includes a University of Houston study of maternal mortality that examines why Black, Indigenous and other people of color in the U.S. are nearly three times as likely as white women to die during pregnancy or within the first year after childbirth.
    Agnel Philip, ProPublica, 28 Feb. 2025
  • The results were consistent among all participants, regardless of body weight or childbirth history.
    Lindsay Curtis, Verywell Health, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • England have struggled at the latter position in recent years, and with Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall out injured until next season, Spence could be Tuchel’s best option there already.
    Oliver Kay, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Still, with fewer employees, the department may struggle to meet the demands of a growing number of applicants.
    Scott White, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Just consider the agony of merging two or more sprawling thickets of technology.
    Forbes, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The death of this beautiful 12 year old girl and the agony of her mother and family touched our entire nation greatly.
    NPR, NPR, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Newcastle suddenly had a purpose, which has always been the basis of Howe’s efforts.
    George Caulkin, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Engaging in advocacy efforts, whether by contacting lawmakers or participating in petitions, can help raise awareness of the department's critical role in higher education.
    Scott White, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Kyiv has been striving to prove its readiness for peace while stressing that no deal can succeed without American security guarantees to deter repeat Russian aggression.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Both China and Europe strive to be global leaders in the clean technology sector, for instance, and Chinese overproduction is threatening European industrial champions, particularly in the auto sector.
    Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • But last year's Olympics were also a major source of anguish.
    Christopher Intagliata, NPR, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Every repeat viewing of Abraham's performance reveals some new moment of humiliation — some fresh sickening glimmer of anguish that feels all too familiar.
    EW.com, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Travail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travail. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

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