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quälen — meaning in English

German → English · translate English → German instead

English meaning

  • agonize verb To writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  • anguish noun Severe mental or physical suffering, often caused by grief, loss, or distress.
  • distress noun Serious pain, suffering, or worry, especially of an urgent kind.
  • excruciate verb To inflict intense pain or mental distress on (someone); to torture.
  • harass verb To repeatedly trouble, pester, or intimidate someone, especially in a way that is unwanted or illegal.
  • harrow noun A heavy farming tool with rows of spikes or discs, dragged over ploughed soil to break it up.
  • hurt verb To cause physical pain or injury.
  • peeve noun An annoyance or grievance.
  • pine noun An evergreen coniferous tree with needle-like leaves, or the wood it produces.
  • slog noun A long, tiring effort or period of hard, tedious work.
  • toil noun Hard, exhausting work.
  • torment noun Severe physical or mental suffering.
  • vex verb To annoy or irritate someone.

Senses

quälen is used for these senses in English:

  • agonize (intransitive) To writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  • anguish (transitive) To cause to suffer pain.
  • distress To cause strain or anxiety to someone.
  • excruciate (transitive) To inflict intense pain or mental distress on (someone); to torture.
  • harass To put excessive burdens upon (someone); to subject (someone) to anxieties.
  • harrow (transitive) To traumatize or disturb; to torment, distress or vex.
  • hurt (transitive, intransitive) To cause (somebody) emotional pain.
  • peeve (colloquial) To annoy; vex.

agonize — full definition

  1. verb To writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  2. verb To struggle; to wrestle; to strive desperately, whether mentally or physically.
  3. verb To cause agony or anguish in someone.
  4. verb To act as an agonist upon; to combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiological reaction.

anguish — full definition

  1. noun Severe mental or physical suffering, often caused by grief, loss, or distress.
  2. verb To suffer or cause severe mental distress.

Related German words