Anguished describes a person, a face, a voice, a cry, or a look that is full of that deep suffering — mental or physical, from extreme pain or worry. An anguished look. Anguished screams. An anguished phone call. It is the adjective (and also the -ed form of the verb to anguish). It does the same job as “full of anguish,” but it sits neatly in front of a noun. It is still a strong word. Though actually, that is the trap: an anguished email about late homework would sound strange, even funny; an anguished call after an accident would not. Use it when the feeling shows on the outside — the sound, the face, the way someone asks a question they are afraid to hear the answer to.