anguish

[ang-gwish] /ˈæŋ gwɪʃ/

noun

excruciating or acute distress, suffering, or pain:

the anguish of grief.

verb (used with object)

to inflict with distress, suffering, or pain.

verb (used without object)

to suffer, feel, or exhibit anguish:

to anguish over the loss of a loved one.

Origin

1175-1225; Middle English anguisse < Old French < Latin angustia tight place, equivalent to angust(us) narrow + -ia -ia; cf. anxious; akin to anger

Synonyms

1. agony, torment, torture. See pain.

Antonyms

1. delight, comfort, relief.

Examples from the web for anguish

The film shows that freedom is fraught with anguish and pain.
Add to that pain the anguish of dozens of relatives and friends.
So great was the extremity of his pain and anguish, that he did not only sigh but roar.
It relieved the pressure, easing pain and anguish-as a monarch is supposed to do.
The singer/songwriter suffered similar anguish during the wrenching process of writing his autobiography.
And the anguish of the singer marks the sweetness of the strain.
Assessing patients' vulnerability to anguish may be essential to accurately judging the severity of their condition.
Specifically, the Court said that no recovery could be made under the wrongful death statute for mental anguish.
Such howls of anguish have had their effect on both sides of the Atlantic.
Grading can involve so much mental anguish.

British Dictionary definitions for anguish

anguish

/ˈæŋɡwɪʃ/

noun

extreme pain or misery; mental or physical torture; agony

verb

to afflict or be afflicted with anguish

Word Origin

C13: from Old French angoisse a strangling, from Latin angustia narrowness, from angustus narrow

Word Origin and History for anguish

c.1200, "acute bodily or mental suffering," from Old French anguisse, angoisse "choking sensation, distress, anxiety, rage," from Latin angustia (plural angustiae) "tightness, straitness, narrowness;" figuratively "distress, difficulty," from ang(u)ere "to throttle, torment" (see anger (v.)).

early 14c., intransitive and reflexive; mid-14c., transitive, from Old French anguissier (Modern French angoisser), from anguisse (see anguish (n.)). Related: Anguished; anguishing.