Anguish
noun /ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/ — Severe mental or physical pain and suffering
Definition
Severe mental or physical pain — a suffering so intense that it is close to being unbearable. The word for grief at its most acute, for pain at its most extreme.
Beyond the definition
Pain that takes over the whole person. Anguish is what happens when suffering becomes total — when it is not something you are experiencing but something that is happening to you.
Origin & history
From Old French 'angoisse' (distress, anxiety) — from Latin 'angustia' (narrowness, distress) — from 'angere' (to strangle). Related to 'anxiety' and 'anger'. The narrowing of the throat under extreme distress.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The anguish on her face was not performance — it was the unguarded expression of someone who had stopped trying to hold it together.
Physical anguish and emotional anguish share a body — neither stays neatly in its domain.
To wait for news of someone missing is a specific form of anguish — the impossibility of action combined with the impossibility of rest.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Anguish” when the meaning fits your context: Severe mental or physical pain — a suffering so intense that it is close to being unbearable. The word for grief at its most acute, for pain at its most extreme.
Synonyms
Antonyms
relief, peace, comfort
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Looking at Empty Chair
An adult sits alone in a low-lit, quiet room, their posture slumped and reflective while looking at an empty chair.
The physical collapse of the person's posture and their somber attention toward the absence show the extreme, unbearable mental and physical pain of anguish.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Anguish" mean?
Anguish is noun meaning: Severe mental or physical pain and suffering. Severe mental or physical pain — a suffering so intense that it is close to being unbearable. The word for grief at its most acute, for pain at its most extreme.
Where does the word "Anguish" come from?
From Old French 'angoisse' (distress, anxiety) — from Latin 'angustia' (narrowness, distress) — from 'angere' (to strangle). Related to 'anxiety' and 'anger'. The narrowing of the throat under extreme distress.