agonize

verb

ˈa-gə-ˌnīz How to pronounce agonize (audio)
Definition of agonizenext
1
as in to persecute
to cause persistent suffering to got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grieve
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

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.
Recent Examples of agonize People often agonize over how to ask for a raise at work, trying to determine when to speak up and how to make their case. — Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 12 May 2026 With two more days left in the Disney trip, Dreyer faced a decision plenty of parents have agonized over — cut the vacation short or push through? — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026 Her ex-husband, a good father, refuses to move the boy to the town and Eden agonizes about taking the boy from his friends and school in the Twin Cities. — Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026 Not every meeting summary or line of code needs to be agonized over, farewell to arms-style. — Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for agonize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonize
  1. persecute
  2. grieve
  3. plague
  4. mourn
  5. afflict
  6. ache
  7. torture
  8. sigh
Verb
  • The Washington Principles also recognize that many sales of artwork by Jews during the Nazi era occurred while they were being persecuted, or under duress.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 29 June 2026
  • Representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine have been persecuted.
    — Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Definition of persecute
Verb
  • Organ and whole body donation are often understood as the ultimate selfless acts — a grieving family using their loss to improve someone else’s life, or further scientific research.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 13 July 2026
  • Even after bones heal and surgeries succeed, experts say recovery can mean coming to terms with what injuries have changed and giving yourself permission to grieve those losses.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 July 2026
Definition of grieve
Verb
  • But one low-key issue plaguing the KC staff is the long ball.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 12 July 2026
  • Housing affordability continues to plague buyers The new law arrives as housing affordability remains strained.
    — Sarah Agostino,Mike Winters, CNBC, 11 July 2026
Definition of plague
Verb
  • My heart goes out to the pilot's friends, family, and colleagues who mourn this immense loss.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • As people mourn and protest Wells' death, Christine Wonsley urged them to follow his example.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
Definition of mourn
Verb
  • The afflicted slowly lose their ability to walk, talk, eat, dress, write, swallow and, eventually, breathe.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
  • Jude, meanwhile, was shifting from tossing cones to tugging at his ears, afflicted with the same malady that had landed several of the toddlers on the room’s version of the injury list.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 June 2026
Definition of afflict
Verb
  • Symptoms resemble other types of pneumonia and can include fever, chills, muscle aches, and cough.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026
  • Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome causes fatigue, fever, muscle aches, abdominal problems, headaches, chills and dizziness in the early stages, and late symptoms include chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath and lungs filling with fluid.
    — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of ache
Verb
  • In addition to its prior ties to al-Qaeda, HTS has been accused by the UN and other organizations of human rights abuses against women and children, as well as torturing and executing detainees.
    — Connor Greene, Time, 8 July 2026
  • Walker was abducted, raped, tortured and murdered after attending a Valentine’s Day dance with her boyfriend.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of torture
Verb
  • In the series premiere of Netflix’s Vladimir, Rachel Weisz awakens from troubled sleep to a cascade of texts, sighs deeply, and addresses the camera with pleading eyes.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026
  • Yet another review of EAR audio found that people who sighed frequently were not necessarily burdened by negative emotions.
    — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 8 July 2026
Definition of sigh

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agonistic
agonize
agonized
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Cite this Entry

“Agonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonize. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of agonize for Spanish Speakers

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