'anguishful' originates from English, formed from the noun 'anguish' plus the suffix '-ful', where 'anguish' meant 'severe mental or physical pain' (from Old French 'angoisse' and Latin 'angustia/angor' < 'angere' 'to press tight, distress') and '-ful' meant 'full of'.

'Anguish' entered Middle English from Old French 'angoisse', itself from Latin 'angustia/angor' (from 'angere'). The derivative adjective 'anguishful' arose in Early Modern English and eventually settled as the modern English word 'anguishful'.

Initially, it meant 'full of anguish' in a chiefly literary or poetic register; this meaning has remained stable, though the word has become rare in modern usage.