anguish

Anguish is a profound form of emotional or mental suffering characterized by intense pain, distress, or torment. It can be psychological, moral, or existential in nature, and may be accompanied by physical symptoms such as restlessness or insomnia. It is not a formal diagnosis in most clinical classifications, but it is used to describe the subjective experience of extreme distress.

The word derives from Old French anguise or anguisse, from Latin angustia “narrowness, oppression,” from angustus “narrow.” The sense extends from physical constriction to figurative emotional pressure, reflecting a perception of being pressed or constrained by circumstance.

Causes of anguish can include bereavement, trauma, guilt, moral conflict, chronic illness, or uncertainty about the future. Those experiencing anguish may report feelings of horror, fear, helplessness, or despair, and the experience can affect sleep, concentration, appetite, and daily functioning. The intensity and duration can vary, from transient discomfort to long-lasting torment.

In psychology and culture, anguish is not a specific clinical diagnosis but a qualitative feature observed across conditions such as major depression, anxiety disorders, or post-traumatic stress, and it appears prominently in literature and religious thought. It is often linked to questions of meaning, guilt, vulnerability, and the human condition, highlighting the moral or existential dimensions of suffering.

Related terms include distress, agony, despair, and existential angst. While they overlap in meaning, anguish typically emphasizes an acute, intensely personal sense of torment that may be moral, spiritual, or existential in character.