1
as in persecutes
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 grieves
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 agonizes
McClarnon, 59, not only stars but produces, directs and agonizes about getting it right.
—
Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonizes
Verb
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China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
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In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Now 32, Karanja grieves the milestones and achievements her dad hasn't been able to share — her graduation from college, for example, and her budding career as a researcher.—
Marc Silver,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
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Renata grieves for her deceased sister, Josie, and fears being arrested for meting out her own form of justice for the death.—
Oline H. Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Still, a key downside risk for all three companies is the uncertainty that plagues the future of energy markets, according to Goldman.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
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Shifting to the execution phase By securing graphite early, the company aims to mitigate supply chain volatility that often plagues advanced nuclear projects.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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James Van Der Beek's widow is speaking out as Hollywood mourns another loss.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
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As the Grey’s Anatomy family mourns the death of Eric Dane, Katherine Heigl has paid tribute to the late actor in a statement.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The centuries-old pot-kettle idiom points out hypocrisy — as when one person accuses another of a flaw that afflicts himself.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
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Lupus, which afflicts some five million people worldwide, is a leading cause of death among young women.—
Jason Liebowitz,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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,
5 Mar. 2026
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Twice thwarted, Beth sighs, says yes, and gets on with the business of living.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The retrospection tortures her.—
Alexandra Rockey Fleming,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
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Later, in one of the movie's most satisfying scenes, Millie locks Andrew in the attic and tortures him by loudly smashing each plate.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In a story translated from Korean, a ghost aches with loneliness after scaring everyone away; in a story translated from Arabic, a midwife is called to aid with the birth of … something.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
20 Mar. 2026
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My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agonizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonizes. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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