angustias

Angustias is a Spanish noun that denotes distress, anxiety, or anguish. The term derives from Latin angustia, meaning narrowness or tightness, and it has been extended metaphorically to emotional and moral strain as well as physical pressure. In everyday use, angustias can refer to difficult circumstances or states of worry, and in literary or psychological contexts it can describe deep suffering.

In Catholic devotion, Nuestra Señora de las Angustias (Our Lady of the Sorrows) is a title given to the Virgin Mary and linked to her sorrows during the life and Passion of Jesus. Marian devotion under this name is widespread in Spanish-speaking regions, and many churches, sanctuaries, and confraternities bear the name Angustias. Iconography related to this devotion typically emphasizes sorrow and compassion.

Angustias also appear in toponymy and cultural institutions. The phrase is used in the names of places, districts, or religious buildings dedicated to the Marian title, as well as in literature or art as a motif representing emotional tension or hardship. In summary, angustias spans ordinary language for distress, religious and cultural expressions connected to Our Lady of the Sorrows, and geographic or institutional uses linked to the same devotion.