travail 1 of 2

noun

trə-ˈvāl How to pronounce travail (audio)
Definition of travailnext
1
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind no greater travail than that of parents who have suffered the death of a child

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in labor
very hard or unpleasant work these villagers now have decent housing, so our travail has not been in vain

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in childbirth
the act or process of giving birth to children a midwife assisted her throughout her long travail

Synonyms & Similar Words

travail

2 of 2

verb

trə-ˈvāl How to pronounce travail (audio)
as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort Labor Day is the day on which we recognize those men and women who daily travail with little appreciation or compensation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun travail contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of travail are drudgery, grind, labor, toil, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

In what contexts can drudgery take the place of travail?

The words drudgery and travail can be used in similar contexts, but drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When would grind be a good substitute for travail?

Although the words grind and travail have much in common, grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When is it sensible to use labor instead of travail?

While in some cases nearly identical to travail, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When could toil be used to replace travail?

The meanings of toil and travail largely overlap; however, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When might work be a better fit than travail?

The words work and travail are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of travail
Noun
George Michael’s travails deserve to be seen so clearly. —Armond White, National Review, 10 Jan. 2025 To be sure, the travails of one single company do not speak for Asia's third-biggest economy. —William Pesek, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
Verb
And that will launch a fascinating concurrent Midwest drama to complement the Giants’ quarterback travails out East. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for travail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travail
  1. distress
  2. labor
  3. childbirth
  4. struggle
  5. agony
  6. effort
  7. strive
  8. anguish
Noun
  • At the Santa Monica test location after the rains, the level of beryllium — a metal that is toxic to fish and corals and causes respiratory distress in humans — was more than 10 times the maximum limit allowed.
    — Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The result: Some doctors and hospitals have held back on treatments, waiting for the fetal heartbeat to stop or for patients to wind up in undeniable distress.
    — Kavitha Surana, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2025
Definition of distress
Noun
  • Vietnam, a rising manufacturing powerhouse, has seen a surge in Chinese investments in recent years as manufactures move supply chains out of China to take advantage of lower labor costs and hedge against US levies.
    — Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Today’s dishwashers save about 230 hours of labor a year: Nearly 10 days, every year, to do something other than wash the dishes.
    — Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2025
Definition of labor
Noun
  • The report underscores the urgent need for changes ensuring all women receive safe and equitable care during pregnancy and childbirth.
    — Dominique Fluker, Essence, 16 Apr. 2025
  • Complications from pregnancy and childbirth are some of the leading causes of death for girls between the ages of 15 to 19 across the world, according to the WHO.
    — Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech, The Hill, 13 Apr. 2025
Definition of childbirth
Verb
  • And their struggling offense is becoming a major concern.
    — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Behind her glamorous exterior, the real Dorothy was a closeted lesbian who struggled with substance abuse and was mistreated by the men within Hollywood’s studio system before ultimately committing suicide.
    — Abby Monteil, Them., 17 Apr. 2025
Definition of struggle
Noun
  • His experiences at Fuchu Prison left him with frostbite, screaming in agony, after being exposed to sub-zero temperatures during 20 days in solitary confinement.
    — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
  • What began as a blissful afternoon in the Florida sun ended in agony when a Jeep Wrangler suddenly barreled over a man lying on the beach, police said.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of agony
Noun
  • Advertisement Advertisement The attacks represent one of Trump’s most pointed efforts yet to undermine the political independence of an institution historically insulated from White House influence to ensure stable economic stewardship.
    — Nik Popli, Time, 17 Apr. 2025
  • At the end of March, the Trump administration’s effort to deport foreign students involved in anti-Israel disruptions on campus received an unexpected endorsement.
    — Jimmy Quinn, National Review, 17 Apr. 2025
Definition of effort
Verb
  • If a cell harbors many black morphogens, for example, and a neighboring cell harbors few of them, then the molecules strive to move such that they are distributed as evenly as possible.
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2025
  • The school could strive for excellence and integrity while doing fewer things.
    — Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2025
Definition of strive
Noun
  • In the episode, Duran describes his mental anguish during that time and some of the steps he’s taken since then to improve his mental health.
    — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
  • And all of that anguish of going through that process of retrying to develop my body in a way that will never be the same anyway.
    — Outside Online, Outside Online, 26 Mar. 2025
Definition of anguish

Browse Nearby Words

traumatically
travail
travailed
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Cite this Entry

“Travail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travail. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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