pang
Sudden sharp feeling
A pang is a sudden, sharp feeling of physical or emotional pain.
Physical pangs are typically brief and intense—hunger pangs, pangs of labor.
Emotional pangs accompany distressing feelings like guilt, remorse, or longing: She felt a pang of regret when she saw her old house.
The word nearly always appears with "of" followed by the specific sensation, emphasizing the acute but momentary nature of the discomfort.
Brief, sharp sensation
- throbBeat with intensity
- stabPierce with point
- achePersistent dull discomfort
- crampPainful muscle seizure
spasm · sting · prick · gnawing · sharp · shooting · griping · wrenching
Moral self-reproach
- remorseGuilt for wrongdoing
- regretSorrow over past actions
- conscienceInternal moral sense
- sorrowDeep emotional distress
grief · jealousy · longing · heartache · yearning · nostalgia · homesickness · loneliness
Suffering extreme hunger
- famishedIntensely, painfully hungry
- ravenousExtremely hungry, insatiable
- gnawingPersistent biting action
- growlingDeep threatening vocalization
emptiness · craving · appetite · hollow · gastric · rumbling · fasting · peckish
Emotional response to threat
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
- worryTroubled mental state
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
foreboding · unease · doubt · panic · terror · alarm · trepidation · anticipation
twinge
Brief, sharp sensation
cramp · spasm · sting · prick · gnawing · sharp · shooting · griping · wrenching · piercing
guilt
Moral self-reproach
- remorseGuilt for wrongdoing
- regretSorrow over past actions
- conscienceInternal moral sense
sorrow · grief · jealousy · longing · heartache · yearning · nostalgia · homesickness · loneliness · loss
starving
Suffering extreme hunger
- famishedIntensely, painfully hungry
- ravenousExtremely hungry, insatiable
- gnawingPersistent biting action
growling · emptiness · craving · appetite · hollow · gastric · rumbling · fasting · peckish · hunger
fear
Emotional response to threat
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
- worryTroubled mental state
nervousness · foreboding · unease · doubt · panic · terror · alarm · trepidation · anticipation · suspense
- hunger pangsPainful emptiness craving food
- birth pangsContractions during delivery
- pangs of conscienceAcute feelings of guilt
- sharp pang