1
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
agonizing cries rose up from the dungeon
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful
died an agonizing death
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in suffering
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in indecision
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to
got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grieving
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 agonizing
Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
And, as Edmonton has learned in agonizing fashion during the last two Junes, preventing one or two more goals per series can make all the difference.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Rand Richards Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2026
Thomas Drance, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Playoff roster decisions are agonizing for every Major League Baseball front office, but the Toronto Blue Jays are dealing with some particularly tough calls this year.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agonizing
Adjective
Brexit, the agonizing effort to break free of the controversial European Union, splintered the governing Conservative Party and then divided the Labour Party as well.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
And, as Edmonton has learned in agonizing fashion during the last two Junes, preventing one or two more goals per series can make all the difference.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
My agonizing over a coin toss illustrates the basic distortion that gambling exerts on spectating.
—Rand Richards Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
As a result, the sort of trade talks and deals that Vancouver is currently exploring, weighing and even agonizing about in advance of the season are of a different variety entirely.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Playoff roster decisions are agonizing for every Major League Baseball front office, but the Toronto Blue Jays are dealing with some particularly tough calls this year.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agonizing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonizing
Adjective
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On the journey, she gets drawn into her own family’s history and trauma and uncovers a painful legacy that hovers like a dark cloud over the women in the family.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
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Good opposing coaches pants him every time (Loyola, of course, being a particularly painful example).—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
These four novels create a convincing, wrenching, kaleidoscopic picture of the range and repetitions of the most fatal kind of love; the sort of love that allows nothing else to grow around it, that eradicates all dignity; a love which, in order to be completed, must be told.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
-
What's going on is absolutely heart-wrenching.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Manz requested that the restaurant shell out $100,000 to compensate him for medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress and lost enjoyment of his New York City trip.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
12 Mar. 2026
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But other activists allege that such policies lead to the unnecessary suffering of sheltered animals.—
Amber Gaudet,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In Nett’s case, announce and then roll back announcements of a new album that’s been prone to leaks and sandbagged by indecision.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
13 Mar. 2026
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But Pochettino, who has preached commitment to the country and the crest, might be put off by Banks’ indecision.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The report is among the latest examples of the affordability crisis plaguing Americans who are struggling to afford the cost of living amid stubbornly high prices for food, housing, utilities and other necessities.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
-
CrowdStrike stock has slipped 7% this year, caught up in the broader sell-off plaguing the software industry.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Police, regulators and grieving family members have struggled to find accountability for the incident, which left three college students dead, including Dixon.—
Rachel Swan,
San Francisco Chronicle,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Everyone has to go through the grieving process.—
Ryan Brennan
March 17,
Miami Herald,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Senegal 's parliament has approved a new bill that toughens punishment for homosexuality in the largely Muslim West African nation, the latest African country to impose harsh penalties against the LGBTQ+ community.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Audrey Sterk of Audrey Sterk Design teamed up with Chip Webster Architecture and Reid Builders to use durable composite countertops and weather-resistant cabinetry to ensure this outdoor kitchen will last, even in this harsh island environment.—
Megan Johnson,
Architectural Digest,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But those torturous years groomed an expert technician.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The point is that in a pinch, Apple’s low-cost MacBook can handle its share of work without slowing to a crawl or feeling torturous to deal with.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agonizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonizing. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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