1
as in nightmare
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
waiting all those hours to hear if he'd survived the plane crash was pure agony
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
the agony of never knowing what happened to her son
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in explosion
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
the announcement that the war was over unleashed a mass agony of joy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agony
Yet Mitch cannot overcome his childhood agonies or mature with his peers or his country.
—
Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2025
Its noise, boys screaming, could pass as typical roughhousing or as agony.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025
According to the outlet, the agony caused Cornett to remove her name outside her dorm room, temporarily relocate to emergency housing, switch to online classes and continue to spend most of her time in her room.
—David Chiu, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
With espresso especially, the right grinder can be the difference between ecstasy, agony, and simple defeat.
—Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2025
Its noise, boys screaming, could pass as typical roughhousing or as agony.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025
According to the outlet, the agony caused Cornett to remove her name outside her dorm room, temporarily relocate to emergency housing, switch to online classes and continue to spend most of her time in her room.
—David Chiu, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
With espresso especially, the right grinder can be the difference between ecstasy, agony, and simple defeat.
—Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agony
Noun
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Package delivery and unpaid toll texts have taken most of the headlines, but an even worse threat is proving a nightmare for phone users.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
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What begins as an ordinary parental milestone descends into a nightmare as a cross-border search unfolds.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Kahle said that includes providing resources to participants for whom sharing experiences of intimate partner violence may cause trauma or mental health distress.—
Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan,
Miami Herald,
20 Apr. 2025
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Climate anxiety — emotional distress linked to the climate crisis — is already widespread.—
Brooke Kasl-Godley,
Mercury News,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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From Ediacaran Precursors To The Cambrian Explosion The discovery and classification of Dickinsonia have had profound implications for our understanding of the Cambrian explosion.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Two of the injured were firefighters responding to the blast, both suffering minor injuries in the 11:30 a.m. explosion, officials said Sunday afternoon.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Kennedy described addiction as both a source of misery and a symptom of deeper pain, drawing from his own experience of trying to fill an emotional void with drugs.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
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Now, though, The Last of Us is as blinded as Ellie is by misery.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But Season 2, by leaning so far into its characters’ anguish, has become more circular and suffocating in its storytelling.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Coogler attempts to out-scare Jordan Peele’s Get Out, using horror tropes to match the anguish expressed by the blues.—
Armond White,
National Review,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Hubble Space Telescope's recent deep-dive into Andromeda has been able to track the disorder in M31 that the merger left in its wake: streams of stars cannibalized from the galaxy eaten by M31 and producing a burst of star formation.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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All the nervous energy that had built up at American Airlines Center was released in a burst of delirious joy.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Orlov said Ukrainian POWs and civilians are known to be held in harsh conditions, where allegations of abuse and torture are common.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Apr. 2025
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The principle of universal jurisdiction allows for the prosecution of crimes such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and torture committed on foreign territory by persons who are not nationals of the jurisdiction in question.—
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Perhaps Vrabel values the toughness Hill showed in playing through pain.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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Antivirals: Ear pain related to viruses may require antiviral medications.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agony. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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