1
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
agonizing cries rose up from the dungeon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful
died an agonizing death
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in suffering
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in indecision
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to
got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grieving
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
agonized for days over whether she'd done the right thing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agonizing
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
The Nati is also coming into this clash on the back of a defeat after losing 4-3 at home to Germany in agonizing fashion just 96 hours ago.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Rand Richards Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2026
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
This is nail-biting stuff, agonizing to sit through.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agonizing
Adjective
Miller’s 1968 play, written during the agonizing days of the Vietnam War, concerns the disposition of the remains of a once-illustrious estate.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
The Nati is also coming into this clash on the back of a defeat after losing 4-3 at home to Germany in agonizing fashion just 96 hours ago.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
My agonizing over a coin toss illustrates the basic distortion that gambling exerts on spectating.
—Rand Richards Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
Their injuries are stomach-turning, their cries agonizing.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
This is nail-biting stuff, agonizing to sit through.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agonizing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonizing
Adjective
-
In the following months, painful shocks radiated through her chest and back.—
Brett Kelman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The images of that crash were shared widely online and caught Noah Williams' attention, triggering painful memories and taking him back to the day his own life changed forever.—
Karen Morfitt,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Another wrenching question, of course, is whether at least the younger Perez siblings would want or need to go with Olga to Guatemala if she were deported.—
Tim Padgett,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
-
These four novels create a convincing, wrenching, kaleidoscopic picture of the range and repetitions of the most fatal kind of love; the sort of love that allows nothing else to grow around it, that eradicates all dignity; a love which, in order to be completed, must be told.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The trio of legal actions against Illinois, Connecticut and Arizona is the furthest Trump officials have gone to try to override state laws and set the rules for a fast-growing industry that has run headlong into thorny questions about insider trading and profiting off war and suffering.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Take the case of Iris Smith, an 80-year-old Florida retiree suffering from arthritis.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Every minute an infrastructure project waits — due to red tape, political wrangling, indecision, prolonged negotiations, burdensome rules, lack of funding and too few hands to move it forward — the costs go up, support softens, champions go quiet and good projects die.—
Gia Biagi,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In the case of any indecision, the call will ultimately go to Wiseman.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
By the middle of the summer, YLO should be prepared to work out a more systematic offensive against the injustices plaguing the Latin colony.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
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Another reality plaguing the AI industry is the extremely high cost of energy in Europe.—
Francesca Cassidy,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
By embedding with grieving families and legal advocates, the film combines personal narratives with investigative reporting to spark critical conversations about social media reform and encourage viewers to reflect on their own digital relationships.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Much of the Broward community is grieving.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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His team, which includes his advisor Atsushi Shirane and Masaya Miyahara of Japan’s High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), is aiming to develop a wireless system for controlling robots in this harsh environment.—
Katherine Bourzac,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Items that are wind-resistant and waterproof will be good for use in many harsh weather conditions in which the user would need protection.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The timing of the interview—just a few days before Holy Week, when Christians like Nancy and Savannah Guthrie, year after year, stage a harrowing reënactment of an unjust, torturous death—wasn’t lost on anyone.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
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While folks all across the nation are grappling with torturous TSA lines, Joe Jonas actually had fun at the airport on Saturday.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agonizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonizing. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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