Entry Word: agony

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness <waiting all those hours to hear if heʼd survived the plane crash was pure agony> — see hell 2
2 a state of great suffering of body or mind <the agony of never knowing what happened to her son> — see distress 1
3 a sudden intense expression of strong feeling <the announcement that the war was over unleashed a mass agony of joy> — see outburst 1