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

If Ons Jabeur’s Wimbledon final woes were agonizing watches mixed with some coherent tennis, Anisimova needed the panic room from the very start. —Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025

As Kevin agonized, the 3A customer service reps dangled a solution: Just wire the funds again and unlock your $1.4 million. —Cezary Podkul, ProPublica, 25 June 2025

Sydney agonizes over the question of whether to abandon Carm and the Bear for a more functional (if annoying) chef who’s trying to poach her. —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 26 June 2025

The inherent uncertainty often leads to agonizing over ‘what-ifs’ —the potential risks and downsides of choosing a particular path, sometimes even the worst possible outcomes. —John Hall, Forbes.com, 13 June 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