1
as in horrors
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 pains
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 explosions
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
the announcement that the war was over unleashed a mass agony of joy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agonies
Her film is an honorable attempt to dramatize the everyday agonies and frustrations of Red Crescent workers, to honor their quick thinking and astonishing courage under duress.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2026
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonies
Noun
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In simple, straightforward prose, Chang describes in new detail the horrors her parents suffered through during China's Cultural Revolution.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
13 Jan. 2026
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The horrors of the 1988 chapter open the door for a plot development that risks coming across as manipulative.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In fact, Williams took great pains to establish that his primary objective is building the Terps (7-7, 0-3 Big Ten), not tearing down a 21-year-old prospect, the Bears or the sport’s governing body.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Jan. 2026
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Those in their fifties and beyond require the same amount of sleep as younger adults—and may actually benefit from sleeping more to offset nightly wake-ups from aches and pains, medication side effects, or dealing with the need to urinate more frequently in the middle of the night.—
Emma Loewe,
Outside,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
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While Russian defense officials did not say where the Oreshnik hit this time, Ukrainian authorities on Friday reported several explosions and a ballistic missile strike in the western city of Lviv.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Test explosions became increasingly rare.—
Chicago Tribune,
Twin Cities,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The warrant stated that one of the children has been diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety, and has also reported having nightmares about Busfield touching him.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
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Jay Cutler is probably still having nightmares about it.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Police were called twice to the home to respond to apparent angry outbursts from Bushey, once after the knives were removed, and once after the locks were changed, which reportedly led Bushey to break off a doorknob in order to enter the house.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
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As 6-7 went viral, teachers complained that random outbursts by their students were interrupting their lessons.—
Rebekah Willett,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The victims of prejudice and inequality are always the best guardians of the ramparts that sustain those miseries.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
23 Nov. 2025
-
Falling support in Gaza Palestinian public pressure on Hamas has risen as the miseries of war have mounted.—
Mkhaimar Abusada,
The Conversation,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In stronger bursts, faint glows may also appear low on the northern horizon in far northern parts of Wyoming, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
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Little bursts of dub delay flare without warning, kicking up dust devils; every now and then, the telltale sweep of the pitch-bend wheel flicks upward like a fast-rising tide and then, after a minute or two, falls back into place.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Former Jews deemed insufficiently converted faced the Spanish Inquisition’s tortures.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agonies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonies. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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