Anguish — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈaŋ-gwish/ an·guish

Meaning & Definition of Anguish

Anguish (noun)

  1. extreme pain, distress, or anxiety

Anguish (verb)

  1. to suffer anguish
  2. to cause to suffer anguish

Anguish (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: affliction, agony, distress, excruciation, hurt, misery, pain, rack, strait(s), torment, torture, travail, tribulation, woe
    related: discomfort, cross, crucible, trial, heartache, heartbreak, joylessness, sadness, sorrow, unhappiness, emergency, pinch, asperity, difficulty, hardship, rigor, ache, pang, smarting, soreness, stitch, throe, twinge, danger, jeopardy, trouble
    near: comfort, consolation, solace, alleviation, assuagement, ease, relief, peace, security, well-being

  2. deep sadness especially for the loss of someone or something loved

    "words can't express my anguish at losing my cat"

    similar: affliction, dolefulness, dolor, grief, heartache, heartbreak, sorriness, sorrow, woe
    related: agony, distress, pain, suffering, torment, blue devils, blues, dejection, depression, desolateness, desolation, despair, despondence, despondency, disconsolateness, dispiritedness, doldrums, downheartedness, dreariness, dumps, forlornness, gloom, gloominess, glumness, heartsickness, joylessness, melancholy, miserableness, misery, mopes, oppression, sorrowfulness, unhappiness, woefulness, wretchedness, contrition, guilt, regret, remorse, rue, self-reproach, shame, melancholia, self-pity
    opposite: blessedness, bliss, blissfulness, cheer, cheerfulness, cheeriness, delight, ecstasy, elatedness, elation, euphoria, exhilaration, exuberance, exultation, felicity, gladness, gladsomeness, glee, gleefulness, happiness, joy, joyfulness, joyousness, jubilation, pleasure, rapture, rapturousness
    near: gaiety, gayness, humor, jollity, joviality, lightheartedness, merriment, merrymaking, mirth, mirthfulness, hopefulness, optimism, sunniness, enjoyment, content, contentedness, contentment

Anguish (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause persistent suffering to

    "she was anguished by the fear that her sons would die in the war"

    similar: afflict, agonize, bedevil, beset, besiege, curse, excruciate, harrow, persecute, plague, rack, torment, torture
    related: assail, attack, badger, dog, hound, pursue, ride, aggravate, agitate, annoy, bother, bug, chafe, distress, disturb, exasperate, gall, get, grate, gripe, hagride, harass, harry, irk, irritate, molest, nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put out, rasp, rile, vex, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, fluster, grieve, perturb, strain, stress, trouble, try, upset, worry, crush, oppress, overpower, overwhelm, smite, strike, tyrannize, victimize, hurt, pain, pang, prick, smart, stab, sting, wring, martyr
    near: abet, aid, assist, help, deliver, release, relieve, reprieve, comfort, console, content, quiet, solace, soothe, succor

  2. to feel deep sadness or mental pain

    "I anguished over the loss of my father for years afterwards"

    similar: agonize, bleed, grieve, hurt, mourn, sorrow, suffer, eat one's heart out, tear one's hair
    related: ache, long (for), pine (away), sigh, smart, rack, torment, torture, bemoan, bewail, deplore, lament, rue, bawl, blubber, cry, groan, howl, keen, moan, sob, take on, wail, weep, yammer, yowl, languish, regret
    near: beam, cheer, crow, delight, exult, glory, joy, laugh, ravish, rejoice, triumph, assure, comfort, commiserate, console, reassure, solace, soothe, sympathize

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Anguish

The most common words with a similar meaning to Anguish:

affliction, agony, distress, excruciation, hurt, misery, pain, rack, strait(s), torment, torture, travail, tribulation, woe, dolefulness, dolor, grief, heartache, heartbreak, sorriness, sorrow, afflict, agonize, bedevil, beset, besiege, curse, excruciate, harrow, persecute, plague, bleed, grieve, mourn, suffer, eat one's heart out, tear one's hair

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Anguish

Words with the opposite meaning of Anguish:

blessedness, bliss, blissfulness, cheer, cheerfulness, cheeriness, delight, ecstasy, elatedness, elation, euphoria, exhilaration, exuberance, exultation, felicity, gladness, gladsomeness, glee, gleefulness, happiness, joy, joyfulness, joyousness, jubilation, pleasure, rapture, rapturousness

Related Words for Anguish

discomfort, cross, crucible, trial, joylessness, sadness, unhappiness, emergency, pinch, asperity, difficulty, hardship, rigor, ache, pang, smarting, soreness, stitch, throe, twinge, danger, jeopardy, trouble, suffering, blue devils, blues, dejection, depression, desolateness, desolation

Near Antonyms of Anguish

comfort, consolation, solace, alleviation, assuagement, ease, relief, peace, security, well-being, gaiety, gayness, humor, jollity, joviality, lightheartedness, merriment, merrymaking, mirth, mirthfulness, hopefulness, optimism, sunniness, enjoyment, content, contentedness, contentment, abet, aid, assist

Word Forms of Anguish

Inflections: anguished, anguishing, anguishes

Origin & Etymology of Anguish

Middle English angoise, angwissche, borrowed from Anglo-French anguisse, angoisse, going back to Latin angustia (usually in plural angustiae) "narrowness, narrow passage, limitations, straits" (Late Latin, "suffering, distress"), noun derivative (with -ia -y:2), of angustus "narrow, confined, straitened," probably from *angos- (whence angōr-, angor "suffocation, anguish") + *-to-, adjective suffix anger:1

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Anguish

Frequently Asked Questions about Anguish

What does "Anguish" mean?

"Anguish" means extreme pain, distress, or anxiety. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: extreme pain, distress, or anxiety. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Anguish"?

Other words for "Anguish" include affliction, agony, distress, excruciation, hurt, misery, pain and rack. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Anguish" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Anguish"?

There are 174 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Anguish". Common alternatives include affliction, agony, distress, excruciation, hurt, misery, pain, rack, strait(s) and torment.

What is the opposite of "Anguish"?

Antonyms of "Anguish" include blessedness, bliss, blissfulness, cheer, cheerfulness, cheeriness, delight and ecstasy. Near antonyms include comfort, consolation, solace and alleviation.

How do you use "Anguish" in a sentence?

Examples of "Anguish" in a sentence: "as a new teacher, she was in real anguish over the decision to report the cheating"; "words can't express my anguish at losing my cat"; "she was anguished by the fear that her sons would die in the war".

Is "Anguish" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Anguish" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Anguish" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C2-level word, "Anguish" is typical of Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE), IELTS band 8.5–9.0, TOEFL iBT 114–120, PTE Academic 85–90. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Anguish"?

"Anguish" is pronounced /ˈaŋ-gwish/ and divided into syllables as an·guish.