AGONIZES Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

agonizes

verb

present tense third-person singular of agonize

as in persecutes

to cause persistent suffering to got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother

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as in grieves

to feel deep sadness or mental pain agonized for days over whether she'd done the right thing

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of agonizes Alice’s viewpoint is boring, and anyone who agonizes about it forever will never get to the interesting parts. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonizes

Verb

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
In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.

— Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

Definition of persecutes

Verb

Pi-o grieves the death of his friend, unable to get out of bed for days.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Kylie grieves over her comatose boyfriend, setting her on a journey to the English countryside in order to end the curse, and Antonia watches over Kylie’s beau in the hospital.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of grieves

Verb

Walker, who leads the NFL with 360 rushing yards, also is adept at avoiding an issue that plagues many ball carriers and receivers in the NFL.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
What plagues America right now, in Cox’s telling, is not bad manners, or even political division, but contempt—the conviction that those who don’t share our opinions or values are beneath us and unworthy of good-faith engagement.

— McKay Coppins, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of plagues

Verb

The painful condition, which causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow on other parts of the body, afflicts 1 in 10 women worldwide.

— Laura Ungar, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Unraveling Medical Mysteries Patients with undiagnosed conditions suffer not only from their symptoms but also from the uncertainly of not knowing what afflicts them.

— The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of afflicts

Verb

When football fans saw three straight Primetime games on the NFL schedule for the Atlanta Falcons, there were some social media eye rolls, sighs and more, and who could blame them?

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Lifting a stem of cauliflower to his lips, my brother sighs deeply.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of sighs

Verb

At first, all signs point to Bobby, including a mercenary who survived the attack on Halstead Manor that Eddie tortures to extract information.

— Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
On his latest Hyperdub release, the Japanese producer born Takahide Higuchi sings more than on previous records but tortures his voice through a gauntlet of pitch-shifter effects.

— Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 27 July 2026

Definition of tortures

Verb

Many infected people don’t get sick, but some experience fever, flu-like symptoms and — notoriously — aches.

— Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Symptoms can include headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or a rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

— Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of aches

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“Agonizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonizes. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of agonizes

verb

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