1
as in to persecute
to cause persistent suffering to
got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grieve
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
agonized for days over whether she'd done the right thing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agonize
With two more days left in the Disney trip, Dreyer faced a decision plenty of parents have agonized over — cut the vacation short or push through?
—
Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Her ex-husband, a good father, refuses to move the boy to the town and Eden agonizes about taking the boy from his friends and school in the Twin Cities.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
Tyran Stokes, hailed as the top prospect in the high school class of 2026, has bounced up and down the West Coast, attending three different high schools in four years, while fans on Reddit scrutinize his performance and national media agonize over his oscillating college decision.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
Even a lot of contemporary fiction, where the scenario of characters agonizing over whether to have children has become quite common, defaults to a laconic style (very short paragraphs separated by empty space, for example) that channels the familiar wariness about lushness.
—Aaron Matz, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for agonize
Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Her ex-husband, a good father, refuses to move the boy to the town and Eden agonizes about taking the boy from his friends and school in the Twin Cities.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
Tyran Stokes, hailed as the top prospect in the high school class of 2026, has bounced up and down the West Coast, attending three different high schools in four years, while fans on Reddit scrutinize his performance and national media agonize over his oscillating college decision.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
Even a lot of contemporary fiction, where the scenario of characters agonizing over whether to have children has become quite common, defaults to a laconic style (very short paragraphs separated by empty space, for example) that channels the familiar wariness about lushness.
—Aaron Matz, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for agonize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonize
Verb
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Supporting people who have too often been, and continue to be, persecuted and othered would be a direct way to address the suffering.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
14 June 2026
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It's partially inspired by director Benjamin Christensen's research on the German text Malleus Maleficarum, a guide to witchcraft for inquisitors looking to persecute its perpetrators.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
Verb
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The focus here is not on withholding information, but on safeguarding the dignity of a child and allowing a grieving family the space and privacy to heal.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
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This country is grieving too many senseless and violent deaths and shootings.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Verb
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The high school exam board, CBSE, has faced public outrage over an electronic marking system plagued with technical glitches, during which students said answers were wrongly marked or, in some cases, answer sheets were omitted entirely.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
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The department said that all reopenings of the Reflecting Pool have been plagued by algae blooms and that vacuuming up the algae would take a couple of days.—
Lalee Ibssa,
ABC News,
19 June 2026
Verb
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As Hinkley’s family and fiancée mourn the loss of a young man who still had his entire future ahead of him, prosecutors emphasized the scrutiny applied when criminal allegations involve an on-duty law enforcement officer.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
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The burning of Notre-Dame reminded humanity how to mourn a tragedy.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Verb
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Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that primarily and most severely afflicts children.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
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Joyce said problems that afflict Washington require a deeper, more systematic change.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Deep trust grows with clear boundaries as aching Chiron enters your 8th House of Intimacy and Shared Resources.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
19 June 2026
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Systemic symptoms may include dizziness, headaches, a rapid heart rate, fatigue, intense thirst, and body aches.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Wayne County prosecutors allege that on June 17, Montgomery tortured and burned a raccoon at a home in the 12000 block of Washburn Street in Detroit and posted a video on social media of the animal being burned alive.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
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In fact, the disease has been torturing humans for at least 5,500 years, according to a study published today in the journal Nature .—
Margherita Bassi,
Popular Science,
17 June 2026
Verb
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The internet may be full of people who want to outlaw leaf blowers, but misophonic triggers tend to share a bodily quality, an aurally traceable culprit such as a person crunching or sighing.—
Sloane Crosley,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
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Also, remember that the avatar is reading your body language, eye contact, any kind of sighing or moaning.—
Phil Blair,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonize. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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