agonizing

adjective

ag·​o·​niz·​ing ˈa-gə-ˌnī-ziŋ 

: causing agony

an agonizing injury

agonizingly adverb

Synonyms of agonizing

• painful
• harsh
• torturous
• cruel

Examples of agonizing in a Sentence

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

His agonizing response — Chisholm spent several minutes on the ground in pain — only seemed to confirm that. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 19 June 2026

There are many reasons the Rays have followed their amazing 22-4 stretch (from April 22-May 22) with an agonizing 7-15 run (May 24 through Wednesday). — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 June 2026

If Evan took that ferry to Boston and the curse was still active, would Tom — who wasn’t born on Widow’s Bay and thus isn’t bound to it like the locals — have to watch his son die in the same slow, agonizing fashion that his wife did? — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 June 2026

Gruesome as his actions might be, they were done in the hope of sparing a child from an even more agonizing end. — Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of agonize

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined above