anguish
Very great sadness or pain.
anguish in a sentence
- She cried out in anguish when she realised her hamster had escaped.
- The striker sank to his knees in anguish after his penalty bounced off the post.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to anguish?
- Apain
- Bhappiness
- Ccomfort
- Djoy
Show the answer
A: pain. The other three mean the opposite of anguish.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to anguish?
- Ahurt
- Bsorrow
- Cjoy
- Dpain
Show the answer
C: joy. The other three mean nearly the same as anguish.
Words that mean something similar
pain, sorrow, hurt
Words that mean the opposite
joy, happiness, comfort
More words about emotions & feelings
- animated: Full of life, energy and excitement.
- anxious: Worried and nervous about what might happen.
- apprehensive: A little scared and worried about something that is coming.
- ardent: Full of strong, keen feeling about something.
- arouse: To stir up a feeling, or to wake someone up.
- astonish: To surprise someone very much.
- awe: A feeling of great wonder and respect, sometimes mixed with a little fear.
- bemused: Puzzled and unsure about what is going on.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test