anguished cry
Sound of suffering
An anguished cry is a vocal expression of intense emotional or physical pain—a sound wrung from someone in acute distress.
The phrase appears in narrative contexts describing grief, despair, or suffering: She let out an anguished cry when she heard the news.
The cry may be wordless or may contain words, but the modifier anguished marks it as raw and involuntary.
- wailProlonged mournful cry
- screamLoud sharp cry
- sobConvulsive weeping
- howlProlonged mournful cry
- primal screamTrauma-releasing vocal outburst
shriek · moan · groan · lament · keening · tormented · agony · torn apart · despair · grief · cry · cries out · weeping · torment · piercing · heartbroken · desperate · raw