Definition of AGONIZE

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

If that’s the case, why agonize over short-term fit issues with Ball and Holiday? New Cavaliers coach John Beilein got an up-close view of Culver in March, when Texas Tech eliminated Beilein’s Michigan Wolverines from the NCAA Tournament. — Ben Golliver, The Denver Post, "2019 NBA mock draft: How will Pelicans build around Zion Williamson?," 18 June 2019 Just as Walt Disney’s artisans selected sherbet pink to coat Sleeping Beauty’s Castle when the Anaheim, California, resort opened in 1955, some Imagineer must have agonized over the shade and shape of the scum for the Galaxy’s Edge trash cans. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "The Star Wars Park Is a Space-Junk Fantasy," 5 June 2019 And Comey offers a lot of judgments about his own behavior, after agonizing over his handling of the Clinton emails in 2016 and of Trump in 2017. — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Don’t Tell Us Comey’s Judgments About Trump: His Judgment’s Terrible," 17 Apr. 2018 Every mother interviewed agonized over their decision. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Anti-Abortion Activists Are Still Defending Forced Birth with Debunked Science," 26 Jan. 2019 His subsequent downfall is agonizing if a bit predictable, although critics probably made the same complaint about Sophocles. — Daniel Akst, WSJ, "‘The Hazards of Good Fortune’ Review: An Unforgiven Overreacher," 5 Oct. 2018 The quality group agonizes while the quantity group experiments and gets better. — Kate Bachelder Odell, WSJ, "‘Atomic Habits’ and ‘The Bullet Journal Method’ Review: New Year’s Baby Steps," 31 Dec. 2018 Word of the resolution elated state officials, who have agonized for months over the possibility of closing CHIP to new children, as Connecticut did, or reducing or ending benefits for youngsters. — Amy Goldstein, Washington Post, "Short-term spending agreement provides longer-term relief for CHIP," 22 Jan. 2018 That was apparent in behind-the-scenes agonizing over the issue of workmen’s compensation for players. ... — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Michigan coach's athlete payment plan to invest in stocks has its holes," 12 May 2018

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History and Etymology for agonize

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

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