agonize

verb

ag·​o·​nize ˈa-gə-ˌnīz 

agonized; agonizing

transitive verb

: to cause to suffer agony : torture

intransitive verb

1

: to suffer agony, torture, or anguish

agonizes over every decision

2

: struggle

Synonyms

• persecute
• plague
• afflict
• torture
• bother
• anguish
• torment
• besiege

Examples of agonize in a Sentence

got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother

agonized for days over whether she'd done the right thing

Recent Examples on the Web

A day before Donna Adelson was convicted of first-degree murder for orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot to kill her former son-in-law, the 75-year-old woman agonized over whether to testify in her defense in a Tallahassee, Florida, courtroom. —Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025

Even those plot points feel a bit dated, with Ivy’s ascent as a food star marked by hobnobbing with David Chang, and Theo agonizing over remixes and GIFs of his anguish. —Katie Walsh, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025

Most participants spend the weeks leading up to launch agonizing over our gear and wardrobe choices. —Woniya Thibeault, Outside, 26 Aug. 2025

The pair joined a group of brilliant theoretical physicists who were agonizing over a particular problem in quantum theory. —Lyndie Chiou, Quanta Magazine, 25 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French agoniser "to exercise, struggle, suffer, (in past participle agonisé) torment," borrowed from Medieval Latin agōnizāre "to struggle, suffer death pangs," going back to Late Latin, "to fight, wrestle," borrowed from Greek agōnízesthai "to contest, fight," verbal derivative of agṓn "assembly, contest" — more at agony

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

Rhymes for agonize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies

Kids Definition

agonize

verb

ag·​o·​nize ˈag-ə-ˌnīz 

agonized; agonizing

: to suffer or cause to suffer extreme pain or anguish of body or mind

agonizingly

-ˌnī-ziŋ-lē

adverb