agonizing

adjective

ag·​o·​niz·​ing ˈa-gə-ˌnī-ziŋ How to pronounce agonizing (audio)
Synonyms of agonizingnext
: causing agony
an agonizing injury
agonizingly adverb

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His family spent an agonizing week searching through morgues, hospitals and detention facilities before finally identifying his body among piles of corpses, also shown in the viral footage. Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026 Her family would later make the agonizing decision to take her off life support. Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026 The findings provide a firsthand look at the boy’s final agonizing days, says Lawrence Straus, a professor emeritus in anthropology at the University of New Mexico, who was not involved in the study. Sara Novak, Scientific American, 27 Jan. 2026 The femur is the human body’s longest, strongest bone, and among the most agonizing to break. Paige Williams, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for agonizing

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of agonize

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of agonizing was in 1570

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Agonizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agonizing. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on agonizing

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!