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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agonize
Playoff roster decisions are agonizing for every Major League Baseball front office, but the Toronto Blue Jays are dealing with some particularly tough calls this year.
—
Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
A day before Donna Adelson was convicted of first-degree murder for orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot to kill her former son-in-law, the 75-year-old woman agonized over whether to testify in her defense in a Tallahassee, Florida, courtroom.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
Even those plot points feel a bit dated, with Ivy’s ascent as a food star marked by hobnobbing with David Chang, and Theo agonizing over remixes and GIFs of his anguish.
—Katie Walsh, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
The pair joined a group of brilliant theoretical physicists who were agonizing over a particular problem in quantum theory.
—Lyndie Chiou, Quanta Magazine, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agonize
Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
A day before Donna Adelson was convicted of first-degree murder for orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot to kill her former son-in-law, the 75-year-old woman agonized over whether to testify in her defense in a Tallahassee, Florida, courtroom.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
Even those plot points feel a bit dated, with Ivy’s ascent as a food star marked by hobnobbing with David Chang, and Theo agonizing over remixes and GIFs of his anguish.
—Katie Walsh, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
The pair joined a group of brilliant theoretical physicists who were agonizing over a particular problem in quantum theory.
—Lyndie Chiou, Quanta Magazine, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agonize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonize
Verb
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These regimes persecute minorities, jail anyone who speaks freely, and rule through fear and censorship.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
10 Oct. 2025
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Blasphemy accusations have been used repeatedly to persecute Christians and other religious minorities in the country.—
Sean Nelson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The acclaimed actors’ characters are brought together by geography in the eight-episode Netflix series in which Rhys’ Nile — previously suspected of killing his wife — moves in near Danes’ Wiggs, a grieving author.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Oct. 2025
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The 27-year-old is still grieving the loss of Stone, who died on March 1 at the age of 63 in a car crash in Alabama.—
Essence,
Essence,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the first five weeks of the season have proven that wrong, both in terms of the Ravens’ roster construction and the injuries that have plagued their team.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
11 Oct. 2025
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But since then, she has been plagued by scandal.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In Tel Aviv, silent vigils mourn Gaza’s children—absent, yet achingly present in large-scale photographs.—
Beatrice Verhoeven,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Oct. 2025
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Tel Aviv activists hold silent vigils mourning Gaza’s children, confronting public hostility with quiet resilience.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Lakers were down LeBron James, afflicted by nerve pain.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
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Bicycles ignore the real tangible problems that afflict us.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Smigiel’s right shoulder and elbow ached?—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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That contradiction of hope and aching despair goes beyond the music, running right through the roots of the show.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Donnelly, meanwhile, recalled on the witness stand how he was repeatedly drowned, tortured and raped by Gacy, per court documents.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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To the thousands of Syrians who lost loved ones, or were tortured, imprisoned or displaced by the Assad regime, their homeland had become a crime scene from which the top suspects disappeared en masse.—
Danny Makki,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Worthington sighs at the suggestion.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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The audience sighed in relief and immediately got up to leave.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
20 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonize. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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