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
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
Home buyers and real estate agents agonize over the mortgage rate forecast and whether the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Too many engineers agonize over which JavaScript framework to learn or which AutoCAD toolset to master.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for agonize
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
Home buyers and real estate agents agonize over the mortgage rate forecast and whether the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Too many engineers agonize over which JavaScript framework to learn or which AutoCAD toolset to master.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for agonize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonize
Verb
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Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.—
Fatma Tanis,
NPR,
21 Sep. 2025
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Leatherface attacks, but the real villains turn out to be the townsfolk who persecuted the Sawyers after the original massacre.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That's it, a selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow, that touched me deeply.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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But on the day of Dale’s memorial, everyone brushes their hair, puts on the right clothes, and plays big, grieving family.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Pearsall appeared to have reaggravated his knee injury that was plaguing him all week, and he was pulled from the game.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Sep. 2025
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The key race heats up as instances of violence continue to plague the Big Apple.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In criticizing how some Republicans reacted to Charlie Kirk's death, Jimmy Kimmel alleged that conservatives were using Kirk's assassination for political advantage rather than mourning the conservative activist sincerely.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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But for now, many of us are mourning the loss of the space, which has been dedicated to more than just selling books.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Subsequent names didn't stick either, despite cases of this unusual form of diabetes continuing to surface, especially in areas afflicted with malnutrition.—
Jonathan Lambert,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
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Health advocates fear this could lead to higher rates of illness among children, which could worsen the health care disparities that already afflict the Black community.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Red Wings have an aching need for more dynamic play from the back end.—
The Athletic NHL,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Then, after two glorious weeks of passable good health, my body started to ache.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Finney's younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) is bothered by nightmarish visions of an alpine camp, and the siblings investigate only to discover that the Grabber has found a way to torture from the other side.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
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Prosecutors said Grimes was beaten to death and tortured, suffering from multiple lacerations to her head, two black eyes, and a broken arm, ribs and nose.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The audience sighed in relief and immediately got up to leave.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
20 Sep. 2025
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Andy sighed, shuddering between them.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonize. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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