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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Zhao invites viewers to imagine that the character of Hamlet grieves openly in a way that Shakespeare does not have the courage or capacity to do.—
Jeanette Tran,
The Conversation,
12 Mar. 2026
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One voicemail playback message on a phone number associated with a Martin family member asked for privacy while the family grieves.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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Greenblatt suggested that a major misconception of antisemitism that plagues universities is the idea that anti-Zionism is a political stance, rather than one of prejudice.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
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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Lupus, which afflicts some five million people worldwide, is a leading cause of death among young women.—
Jason Liebowitz,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
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Put simply, notaming deficits through a balance of revenue increases and lower spending, but abandoning spending discipline, the curse that afflicts Europe to this day.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 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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Others include fever and head or body aches.—
Jasmine Mendez
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
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Patients can also experience fever, headaches and body aches.—
Kelly McCarthy,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agonizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonizes. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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