as in weeping
expressing or suggesting mourning
one look at his agonized, tearful eyes and it was clear that something was terribly wrong
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to
got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grieved
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
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Recent Examples of agonized
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
After the long commerical break that cohost Julianne Hough made an agonized Fishel and Pashkov wait through to receive their scores, they were relieved to earn a 29, from three 7s and Tonioli's 8.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Oct. 2025
Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 21 Nov. 2025
The Canadian musician had agonized over writing the song in the first place.
—NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agonized
Adjective
Instead, his agonized facial expressions, brought on by an overwhelming vampiric thirst, come across like a bad impersonation of a food allergy.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
After the long commerical break that cohost Julianne Hough made an agonized Fishel and Pashkov wait through to receive their scores, they were relieved to earn a 29, from three 7s and Tonioli's 8.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
Cassidy agonized about supporting Kennedy’s confirmation due to his record of anti-vaccine views, but ultimately cast the deciding vote for his nomination after receiving assurances about vaccine policy.
—Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 21 Nov. 2025
The Canadian musician had agonized over writing the song in the first place.
—NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agonized
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonized
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Verb
-
Wegmann said people tend to think of affordable housing in the context of the housing projects built in decades past, which, in some cases, were plagued by crime.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Mar. 2026
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Much of the Colorado River’s water begins as snow in Colorado’s mountains, which have been plagued by record-low snowfall this winter.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But anyone who has ever grieved knows there will be no closure for these families; there will be only an opening, a void where someone was and now isn’t.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
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Chung adds that her decision to preserve MisTricks in this way has been a source of comfort as she's grieved the death of her pup.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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His villains were flamboyant, but Bruce was mournful, reluctant — no onscreen superhero has more palpably wrestled with not wanting to be a superhero.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Such memories flowed freely this week on social media and in mournful first-person essays.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Making up between 8% to 17% of the country’s total population, Iran’s Kurdish minority has long been persecuted under the Islamic Republic.—
John Calabrese,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2026
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The mission said intelligence agencies routinely persecuted political adversaries, falsifying evidence to justify arrests and in some cases resorting to torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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During perhaps the most rousing eulogy of all on Saturday, Jackson’s second-oldest son, Jonathan, referenced his father’s journey from then to now, while a who’s-who of faith leaders, heads of state, dignitaries, power brokers and celebrities mourned before him.—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
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And, crucially, if they are shot down, they are not mourned by the public.—
Justin Salhani,
The Dial,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Also up for sale is a 13-page affidavit filed by Paul McCartney in December 1970 to break up The Beatles, leaving fans heartbroken.—
Adam Reiss,
NBC news,
11 Mar. 2026
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An 83-year-old Air Force veteran pushed onto the subway tracks by a stranger at an Upper East Side station in a random act of violence is unlikely to survive, his heartbroken daughter told the Daily News Tuesday.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The regular crowd shots of the waiting room too often reduce the afflicted into a zombie-like horde bent on making life more difficult for our beloved medical staff.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, each statement is afflicted by a delinquent modifier.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agonized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonized. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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