travail

1 of 2

noun

tra·vail trə-ˈvāl How to pronounce travail (audio)

ˈtra-ˌvāl

: work especially of a painful or laborious nature : toil

: a physical or mental exertion or piece of work : task, effort

: agony, torment

: labor, childbirth

travail

2 of 2

verb

tra·vail trə-ˈvāl How to pronounce travail (audio)

ˈtra-ˌvāl;

in prayer-book communion service usually ˈtra-ˌvāl

travailed; travailing; travails

intransitive verb

: to labor hard : toil

: labor sense 4

Did you know?

Etymologists are pretty certain that travail comes from trepalium, the Late Latin name of an instrument of torture. We don't know exactly what a trepalium looked like, but the word's history gives us an idea. Trepalium is derived from the Latin tripalis, which means "having three stakes" (from tri-, meaning "three," and palus, meaning "stake"). From trepalium sprang the Anglo-French verb travailler, which originally meant "to torment" but eventually acquired the milder senses "to trouble" and "to journey." The Anglo-French noun travail was borrowed into English in the 13th century, along with another descendant of travailler, travel.

Example Sentences

Noun They finally succeeded after many months of travail. no greater travail than that of parents who have suffered the death of a child Verb Labor Day is the day on which we recognize those men and women who daily travail with little appreciation or compensation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Carolyn was able to capture the honor and travail of spending 24/7 with young children so well.

Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 17 May 2022 Cognates are words that are related etymologically, as travail and travel are … at least historically.

James Harbeck, The Week, 23 Feb. 2022 But over time, travel and travail split into two different words.

James Harbeck, The Week, 23 Feb. 2022 Steinbeck follows their trek through the travail and injustice that accompanied every step of their journey.

Steve West, sun-sentinel.com, 3 June 2021 Who will miss the slaughterhouses, with their groan of travail that was never easy to bear in any age?

Matthew Scully, National Review, 17 Jan. 2021 Forty is a biblical number, used as shorthand for a long period of isolation and travail.

Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2020 Douglas and Paula Rigby inevitably find no easy answers to their financial travails and everyday ennui.

oregonlive, 20 Mar. 2020 Luxe Antarctica: Modern-day Antarctic polar explorers don’t have to endure the harrowing travails of British pioneer Ernest Shackleton.

Michael George, National Geographic, 15 Oct. 2019 See More

travail 1 of 2

noun

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

Relevance

distress
agony
anguish
pain
misery
tribulation
discomfort
torment
torture
woe
excruciation
sorrow
hurt
affliction
hardship
pang
rack
heartbreak
sadness
difficulty
trouble
ache
strait(s)
heartache
crucible
unhappiness
emergency
danger
cross
trial
joylessness
jeopardy
soreness
stitch
smarting
rigor
throe
pinch
twinge
asperity

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

alleviation
comfort
relief
solace
consolation
ease
assuagement
peace
security
well-being

as in toil

very hard or unpleasant work these villagers now have decent housing, so our travail has not been in vain

Synonyms & Similar Words

toil
labor
effort
drudgery
pains
exertion
fatigue
slavery
sweat
drudge
struggle
grind
moil
donkeywork
trouble
responsibility
job
spadework
tedium
obligation
duty
chore
treadmill
routine

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rest
leisure
relaxation
ease
repose
play
fun
recreation
decompression
amusement
sport
entertainment
diversion
idleness
inertia
inactivity
dalliance
dormancy
loafing
inertness
lounging
goldbricking
lolling
dallying

as in childbirth

the act or process of giving birth to children a midwife assisted her throughout her long travail

Synonyms & Similar Words

childbirth
pregnancy
childbearing
labor
parturition
delivery
pains
abortion
miscarriage
accouchement
contraction
confinement
birth pang
childbed
natural childbirth
lying-in
cesarean section
caesarean section

travail

2 of 2

verb

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

labor
struggle
work
toil
drudge
sweat
endeavor
tug
slave
strive
moil
hump
plow
slog
try
hustle
grub
strain
bang away
fag
plug
plod
sweat blood
peg (away)
dig (away)
exercise
pitch in
attack
beaver (away)
essay
dig in
eke out
scratch
knuckle down
exert
drive
trudge
apply (oneself)
buckle (down)
overwork
wade
overexert
scrabble
put out
hammer (away)
grind (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

ease (up)
break
slacken
hang (around or out)
bum
rest
let up
repose
lounge
idle
loaf
shirk
chill
hack (around)
goof (off)
slack (off)
relax
unwind
bask
play
laze
dally
goldbrick
hang
trifle
veg out
fool around
dillydally
hang about
loll
goof (around)
mess around
footle
monkey (around)
doodle
dabble
potter (around)
putter (around)
fribble

Synonym Chooser

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

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

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

the grind of the assembly line

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

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

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

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

单词	travail
释义	travail 1 of 2 noun tra·vail trə-ˈvāl ˈtra-ˌvāl 1 a : work especially of a painful or laborious nature : toil b : a physical or mental exertion or piece of work : task, effort c : agony, torment 2 : labor, childbirth travail 2 of 2 verb tra·vail trə-ˈvāl ˈtra-ˌvāl; in prayer-book communion service usually ˈtra-ˌvāl travailed; travailing; travails intransitive verb 1 : to labor hard : toil 2 : labor sense 4 Did you know? Etymologists are pretty certain that travail comes from trepalium, the Late Latin name of an instrument of torture. We don't know exactly what a trepalium looked like, but the word's history gives us an idea. Trepalium is derived from the Latin tripalis, which means "having three stakes" (from tri-, meaning "three," and palus, meaning "stake"). From trepalium sprang the Anglo-French verb travailler, which originally meant "to torment" but eventually acquired the milder senses "to trouble" and "to journey." The Anglo-French noun travail was borrowed into English in the 13th century, along with another descendant of travailler, travel. Synonyms Noun affliction agony anguish distress excruciation hurt misery pain rack strait(s) torment torture tribulation woe Verb bang away beaver (away) dig (away) drudge endeavor fag grub hump hustle labor moil peg (away) plod plow plug slave slog strain strive struggle sweat toil tug work See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Noun They finally succeeded after many months of travail. no greater travail than that of parents who have suffered the death of a child Verb Labor Day is the day on which we recognize those men and women who daily travail with little appreciation or compensation. Recent Examples on the Web Noun Carolyn was able to capture the honor and travail of spending 24/7 with young children so well. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 17 May 2022 Cognates are words that are related etymologically, as travail and travel are … at least historically. James Harbeck, The Week, 23 Feb. 2022 But over time, travel and travail split into two different words. James Harbeck, The Week, 23 Feb. 2022 Steinbeck follows their trek through the travail and injustice that accompanied every step of their journey. Steve West, sun-sentinel.com, 3 June 2021 Who will miss the slaughterhouses, with their groan of travail that was never easy to bear in any age? Matthew Scully, National Review, 17 Jan. 2021 Forty is a biblical number, used as shorthand for a long period of isolation and travail. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2020 Douglas and Paula Rigby inevitably find no easy answers to their financial travails and everyday ennui. oregonlive, 20 Mar. 2020 Luxe Antarctica: Modern-day Antarctic polar explorers don’t have to endure the harrowing travails of British pioneer Ernest Shackleton. Michael George, National Geographic, 15 Oct. 2019 See More Word History Etymology Noun Middle English, from Anglo-French, from travailler to torment, labor, journey, from Vulgar Latin trepaliare to torture, from Late Latin trepalium* instrument of torture, from Latin tripalis having three stakes, from tri- + palus stake — more at pole First Known Use Noun 13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Verb 13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Medical Definition travail noun tra·vail trə-ˈvā(ə)l ˈtrav-ˌāl : labor, childbirth travail 1 of 2 noun 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 Relevance distress agony anguish pain misery tribulation discomfort torment torture woe excruciation sorrow hurt affliction hardship pang rack heartbreak sadness difficulty trouble ache strait(s) heartache crucible unhappiness emergency danger cross trial joylessness jeopardy soreness stitch smarting rigor throe pinch twinge asperity Antonyms & Near Antonyms alleviation comfort relief solace consolation ease assuagement peace security well-being See More 2 as in toil very hard or unpleasant work these villagers now have decent housing, so our travail has not been in vain Synonyms & Similar Words toil labor effort drudgery pains exertion fatigue slavery sweat drudge struggle grind moil donkeywork trouble responsibility job spadework tedium obligation duty chore treadmill routine Antonyms & Near Antonyms rest leisure relaxation ease repose play fun recreation decompression amusement sport entertainment diversion idleness inertia inactivity dalliance dormancy loafing inertness lounging goldbricking lolling dallying See More 3 as in childbirth the act or process of giving birth to children a midwife assisted her throughout her long travail Synonyms & Similar Words childbirth pregnancy childbearing labor parturition delivery pains abortion miscarriage accouchement contraction confinement birth pang childbed natural childbirth lying-in cesarean section caesarean section travail 2 of 2 verb 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 labor struggle work toil drudge sweat endeavor tug slave strive moil hump plow slog try hustle grub strain bang away fag plug plod sweat blood peg (away) dig (away) exercise pitch in attack beaver (away) essay dig in eke out scratch knuckle down exert drive trudge apply (oneself) buckle (down) overwork wade overexert scrabble put out hammer (away) grind (out) Antonyms & Near Antonyms ease (up) break slacken hang (around or out) bum rest let up repose lounge idle loaf shirk chill hack (around) goof (off) slack (off) relax unwind bask play laze dally goldbrick hang trifle veg out fool around dillydally hang about loll goof (around) mess around footle monkey (around) doodle dabble potter (around) putter (around) fribble See More Synonym Chooser 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 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 Although the words grind and travail have much in common, grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body. the grind of the assembly line 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 The meanings of toil and travail largely overlap; however, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor. his lot would be years of back-breaking toil 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
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travail

noun

verb

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Medical Definition

noun

noun

verb

Synonym Chooser