anguish

noun
UK: /ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/
US: /ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/

  1. Great mental or physical suffering.

    1. Her face showed the anguish she felt about her failing marriage. [ ] [ ]
    2. The victims of the earthquake experienced unimaginable anguish as they waited for rescue, their hope dwindling with each passing hour. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

agony torment suffering distress pain heartache grief woe
anguish intransitive-verb

  1. To suffer extreme mental or physical pain.

    1. He anguished over the decision for days. [ ] [ ]
    2. She anguished internally, torn between her duty and her desires, a conflict that consumed her thoughts. [ ] [ ]
anguish transitive-verb

  1. Cause severe mental or physical suffering to someone.

    1. The thought of losing her child anguished her. [ ] [ ]
    2. The constant criticism from her boss anguished her, undermining her confidence and diminishing her passion for the job. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "anguish" is /ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/ in British English and /ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "anguish": agony, torment, suffering, distress, pain, heartache, grief, woe.

Example usage of "anguish": "Her face showed the anguish she felt about her failing marriage.". More examples on the page.