agonizing

1 of 2

adjective

ag·​o·​niz·​ing ˈa-gə-ˌnī-ziŋ 

: causing agony

an agonizing injury

agonizingly adverb

agonizing

2 of 2

present participle of agonize

Synonyms of agonizing

Adjective

• painful
• harsh
• torturous
• cruel

Examples of agonizing in a Sentence

Adjective

a long and agonizing battle with cancer

She made the agonizing decision to cancel the trip.

The agonizing wait was finally over.

He was in agonizing pain.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Not to mention the agonizing months of watching the new hair grow in, every day fighting the temptation to go back to blonde or brunette. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Sep. 2026

The tense and agonizing switch is a pure state of melodrama, a transcendent form of tragedy striking in the banal core of workaday society. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026

Of course, Kiffin left, a bitter and acrimonious separation that played out over 14 agonizing days, just as the Rebels prepped for their first College Football Playoff game in history. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026

The brazen and agonizing theft of 88 million euros ($102 million) worth of crown jewels from display cases in the Louvre's Apollo gallery served as a wake-up call. — ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of agonize

First Known Use

Adjective

1570, in the meaning defined above