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
Her ex-husband, a good father, refuses to move the boy to the town and Eden agonizes about taking the boy from his friends and school in the Twin Cities.
—
Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
McClarnon, 59, not only stars but produces, directs and agonizes about getting it right.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
McClarnon, 59, not only stars but produces, directs and agonizes about getting it right.
—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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The Professor, with only her ex-partner’s cat for company, sits in her decaying apartment and grieves the loss of her relationship and her struggle with infertility.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
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The film follows a woman who grieves the loss of her mother by secretly attending the funerals of strangers.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And as a fight over the reauthorization of a key national security surveillance law plagues the lower chamber, moving forward with the DHS funding hasn't appeared to be a top priority.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The reclined riding position spreads body weight evenly, eliminating the back, neck, and wrist strain that plagues conventional cycling.—
Omar Kardoudi
April 20,
New Atlas,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The family behind Jimboy’s Tacos mourns its president.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
11 May 2026
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And a family mourns the loss of their ancestral home in southern Lebanon, when their whole village was levelled by Israel during the conflict.—
Greg Dixon,
NPR,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Consider osteoarthritis, which afflicts roughly 33 million Americans by gradually wearing down cartilage in the joints.—
Bryan T. Kelly,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Regeneron also gained Food and Drug Administration approval on April 23 for its gene therapy, Otarmeni, which will be prescribed to treat a rare type of hearing loss that afflicts about 50 newborns in the United States each year.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When placed in front of him, the child either cowers backward in fear and sighs with relief when it's turned off or uses the Force to deactivate it.—
Kirsten Acuna,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
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No subtle sighs about the laundry pile.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 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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Hantavirus symptoms Symptoms typically begin two to three weeks after infection, and can include fever, chills, muscle aches, vomiting and diarrhea.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
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Early symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, the most common infection in the United States, include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups like the thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders, the CDC said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agonizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonizes. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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