anguish

/ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/noun

Deep, intense suffering of the body or the mind.

Example sentence

“The parents waited in anguish for news of their missing son.”

Heavier and more literary than "distress", and more often mental than physical. People cry out "in anguish".

Related words

agonyVery severe pain or suffering.heartbreakIntense sorrow or emotional pain, usually caused by losing someone or being badly disappointed.dreadTo feel great fear or deep anxiety about something that is going to happen.miseryA state of great suffering or deep unhappiness, in body or in mind.terrorA feeling of extreme fear.despairTo lose all hope or stop expecting anything good.