anguish

American  

[ang-gwish] / ˈæŋ gwɪʃ /

noun

1. excruciating or acute distress, suffering, or pain.

   the anguish of grief.

   Synonyms:

   torture, torment, agony

   Antonyms:

   relief, comfort, delight

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verb (used with object)

1. to inflict with distress, suffering, or pain.

verb (used without object)

1. to suffer, feel, or exhibit anguish.

   to anguish over the loss of a loved one.

anguish British  

/ ˈæŋɡwɪʃ /

noun

1. extreme pain or misery; mental or physical torture; agony

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verb

1. to afflict or be afflicted with anguish

Related Words

See pain.

Etymology

Origin of anguish

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English anguisse, from Old French, from Latin angustia “tight place,” from angust(us) “narrow” + -ia -ia; cf. anxious

Explanation

The noun anguish refers to severe physical or emotional pain or distress. A trip to the dentist might cause a cavity-prone person a lot of anguish. We get this word from a Latin word, angustus, which literally meant "narrow" but developed the figurative sense of "distressed" — think of being choked off or forced into a small space. In modern times anguish has been in the English with the parallel and related meanings of "physical torment" and "emotional suffering." Both kinds might be experienced at the hands of a dentist who likes to make his patients squirm in agony.

Example Sentences

Mavromatis says she has suffered "mental anguish, humiliation, embarrassment" and "damage to her emotional and psychological well-being" due to "MrBeast's conduct and the adverse employment actions".

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

The expectation was No 10's next appointment with Mandelson related anguish would be the next deluge of documents Parliament has demanded and which are expected to be published soon.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Despite the anguish — often told as a punch line — the winner of the competition offered a glimmer of hope to the nearly 90 attendees live-voting throughout the show via an app.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

If he endured personal anguish after the failure of his first marriage or the self-immolation of legacy journalism, we get no hint of it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Fury and anguish filled him, unbearable, unanswerable; his mind was stretched to breaking.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

Related Words

• agony
• grief
• heartache
• heartbreak
• misery
• sorrow
• suffering
• torment
• woe