as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
agonizingly made the decision to have her beloved cat put to sleep
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Recent Examples of agonizingly
The Americans came agonizingly close to winning that game.
—
Becky Sullivan, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
New-fangled computers were actually, at times, producing too much information, generating agonizingly detailed reports and printing them on reams of paper.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
California is infamous for its unfriendly business climate, with byzantine regulations and an agonizingly slow permitting system.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
An agonizingly minuscule miss that can change the entire complexion of a game.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
At long last, with his skinned companions still agonizingly clinging to life beside him, the Jimmies' final victim, Tom (Louis Ashbourne Serkis), is offered an out.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Ole Miss comes up agonizingly short in what may be the strangest season of the modern era.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
At first, these were agonizingly slow and laborious series of movements designed to mortify the flesh – to help the spiritual overcome the physical – and instill discipline and union among the members.
—Christian Goodwillie, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
There is a lot of agonizingly unsubtle product placement — for AMC theaters, Starry soda, even Paramount itself.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Becky Sullivan, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
New-fangled computers were actually, at times, producing too much information, generating agonizingly detailed reports and printing them on reams of paper.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
California is infamous for its unfriendly business climate, with byzantine regulations and an agonizingly slow permitting system.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
An agonizingly minuscule miss that can change the entire complexion of a game.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
At long last, with his skinned companions still agonizingly clinging to life beside him, the Jimmies' final victim, Tom (Louis Ashbourne Serkis), is offered an out.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Ole Miss comes up agonizingly short in what may be the strangest season of the modern era.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
At first, these were agonizingly slow and laborious series of movements designed to mortify the flesh – to help the spiritual overcome the physical – and instill discipline and union among the members.
—Christian Goodwillie, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
There is a lot of agonizingly unsubtle product placement — for AMC theaters, Starry soda, even Paramount itself.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonizingly
Adverb
-
The ultra-chic crewneck sweater has a slightly oversized fit that’s perfect for cozying up on a long-haul flight and or layering with a turtleneck on bitterly cold winter days.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Not bitterly, not hysterically—openly, with the sound of someone arriving at a recognition both painful and clarifying.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
17 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The Super Bowl, sadly, was a snoozer.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
One man sadly watched the commemoration from a sidewalk in Tehran, not taking part.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
But Wemby got his painfully cool peers to play along, to pick up the tempo – and their defense, often at half court.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
-
My path has crossed languages and cultures, continents and genres, sometimes gracefully, sometimes a little painfully, but always guided by curiosity and deep faith in cinema.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.—
Madhuri Vijay,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
What has been hardest is seeing ordinary lives, families, young people, civilians slowly reduced to headlines or abstractions, rather than recognized as individuals living under immense and sustained pressure.—
Emily Chan,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Essentially, what seem like small tweaks have noticeable impacts on control when pushing the ski hard.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
For their part, Democratic leaders spoke mournfully of limits, of energy shortages, of national decline, of a crisis of confidence itself.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Based on the Dylan Thomas prose poem of the same name, published in 1952, the film lovingly and mournfully depicts the boyhood Christmastime of an old Welshman, tenderly and a tad mischievously embodied by Elliott.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
21 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agonizingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonizingly. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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