ANGUISHED Synonyms: 256 Similar and Opposite Words

anguished 1 of 2

adjective

ˈaŋ-gwisht

Definition of anguished

as in weeping

expressing or suggesting mourning an anguished cry the military's explanation of the accident did nothing to console the anguished widow

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

anguished

2 of 2

verb

past tense of anguish

as in plagued

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in grieved

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

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 anguished

Adjective

By the end of the month, the tone of Rivas Hernandez’s messages had grown more anguished. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026 Drew Bos, last seen at OPFT as Romeo’s buddy Benvolio in 2024, stars as the Danish prince whose visions of his late father (Charls Sedgwick Hall) prompt an anguished internal reckoning over his bitter desire for revenge and suicidal thoughts. — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026

Verb

There is a mood to these stories, sardonic and anguished in turn, that gets under your skin. — Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025 Insert anguished grimace emoji here. — Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 24 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for anguished

Recent Examples of Synonyms for anguished

Adjective

And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.

— David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.

— Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021

Definition of weeping

Verb

But he was plagued by guilt over his ancestor’s role in the trials, and felt compelled to explore themes of human character, greed, and social decay through his work.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Joan realizes that her mother’s vanishing meshes with a larger tapestry of tragedy that has plagued their family over the years.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of plagued

Verb

Several fans grieved the restaurant’s closing on its social pages.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026
Jake Reiner sat for an interview with ABC7 Los Angeles on Thursday, delving into how his surviving family has grieved during the past several months since his parents’ deaths.

— Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of grieved

Adjective

The One About Matthew Perry, a three-part docuseries, out October 27 on Netflix, is more of a celebration of celebrate Perry’s life instead of a mournful tribute or true crime drama about his death and the headline-making trial that followed.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2026
East Suffolk, a windblown span of marshy coastland, has a reputation for stark, mournful beauty, and for drawing creative people with a taste for isolation and escape.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of mournful

Verb

Those governments provide assurances that people won’t be persecuted or tortured, federal attorneys said.

— Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Also, some immigration cases involve people seeking asylum because they are being persecuted by a foreign government and releasing a person’s full name could be considered sensitive or even dangerous.

— Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of persecuted

Verb

Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Riley Green, and more mourned Anderson, and honored the Country Music Hall of Fame member’s generational talent.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
Dustin Hada, the head coach of Southern Nazarene’s football program, also mourned the loss of his player on social media.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of mourned

Adjective

The woman never brought Melissa back, leaving a heartbroken Apantenco wondering what had become of her baby.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
Mike Sweeney’s tutor Royals Hall of Famer Mike Sweeney was heartbroken to learn of Benzinger’s passing.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of heartbroken

Verb

Love contains the seeds of its own destruction—the cruelty and self-absorption that turns the afflicted against one another, and themselves.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
While the epicenter was located in Nantou County in central Taiwan, serious damage afflicted residents across the island as roads buckled, bridges collapsed and landslides destroyed everything in their path.

— Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of afflicted

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“Anguished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anguished. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of anguished

adjective

verb

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