Definition

1. Noun:

   • Extreme mental distress or suffering: A state of severe emotional pain, torment, or agony, often related to grief, fear, or anxiety.
   • Extreme physical pain or torment: Intense bodily suffering.

2. Verb:

   • To cause someone great emotional pain or suffering: To inflict severe mental distress upon someone.
   • To suffer or experience great emotional or physical distress: To be in a state of anguish.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • She felt deep anguish after the loss of her friend.
  • The patient cried out in physical anguish from the injury.
• Verb:
  • The news of the disaster anguished the entire community.
  • He anguished over the difficult decision for weeks.

Advanced Usage

• "to be in anguish": to be experiencing severe distress.
  • The parents were in anguish while waiting for news about their missing child.
• "cry of anguish": a vocal expression of intense suffering.
  • A sudden cry of anguish echoed through the hallway.

Variants and Related Words

• Anguished (adj): showing or feeling severe distress.
  • She had an anguished expression on her face.
• Anguishing (adj/verb form): causing or experiencing anguish.
  • It was an anguishing period of uncertainty.

Synonyms

• Agony: extreme and prolonged suffering.
• Torment: severe physical or mental suffering.
• Distress: extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain.
• Heartache: emotional anguish or grief.

Antonyms

• Joy: a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
• Elation: great happiness and exhilaration.
• Comfort: a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint.
• Relief: the alleviation of pain, distress, or anxiety.

Related Phrases

• Anguish of soul: deep spiritual or emotional suffering.
  • He wrote poetry describing the anguish of soul he felt.
• Mental anguish: psychological suffering, often considered in legal contexts.
  • The lawsuit sought damages for the mental anguish caused by the accident.

Noun

1. extreme distress of body or mind
2. extreme mental distress

Verb

1. cause emotional anguish or make miserable
   • It pains me to see my children not being taught well in school
2. suffer great pains or distress