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"Anguish" vs. "sadness": unpacking emotions beyond the blue

Reviewed and edited by Lloyd Cooper 10/10/2024, 18:49
English.me team member
Anguish and sadness. What's the difference?

What is similar?

Both refer to negative emotions. Both can be experienced as a response to distressing events. Both words can describe internal emotional states.

What is different?

Anguish implies a more intense, acute level of suffering and distress than sadness. Sadness can be a more general and less intense emotion compared to the severe pain that anguish suggests. Anguish often suggests a combination of emotional and psychological pain, whereas sadness is more purely emotional.

Which one is more common?

Internet search results for anguish) and sadness

Examples of usage

Anguish
  • She was in anguish after hearing the devastating news.
  • The look of anguish on his face was unmistakable.
Sadness
  • He felt a deep sadness after his friend moved away.
  • The movie's ending left her with a lingering sadness.

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