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
There’s something agonizingly beautiful in waiting—in longing, in steadfast desire.
—
Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
The Toronto Blue Jays were agonizingly, excruciatingly close to a World Series triumph.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Hammed Animashaun also delivered a cutting take on film junkets with agonizingly enthusiastic influencer interviewers.
—Scott Bryan, Variety, 22 Mar. 2026
But the show, with its scenes at Jefferton’s many buffets, live-action TV cutaways (married news anchors Jan and Wayne Skylar make their first appearance here), and ear for agonizingly awkward small talk, is as floridly Tim and Eric as any of their later projects.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
And even under ideal conditions, clearing mines is agonizingly slow.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
The three are sheltering in place at an Airbnb in Dubai, with an uncertain timeline of returning home — and a big disruption to the agonizingly slow immigration process.
—Emma Hurt, AJC.com, 6 Mar. 2026
The crowd turned electric, belting nearly every agonizingly confessional lyric.
—Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 5 Mar. 2026
The Sailors, who were making their first appearance in a Southern Section final, had numerous scoring opportunities and came agonizingly close to scoring several times.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
The Toronto Blue Jays were agonizingly, excruciatingly close to a World Series triumph.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Hammed Animashaun also delivered a cutting take on film junkets with agonizingly enthusiastic influencer interviewers.
—Scott Bryan, Variety, 22 Mar. 2026
But the show, with its scenes at Jefferton’s many buffets, live-action TV cutaways (married news anchors Jan and Wayne Skylar make their first appearance here), and ear for agonizingly awkward small talk, is as floridly Tim and Eric as any of their later projects.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
And even under ideal conditions, clearing mines is agonizingly slow.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
The three are sheltering in place at an Airbnb in Dubai, with an uncertain timeline of returning home — and a big disruption to the agonizingly slow immigration process.
—Emma Hurt, AJC.com, 6 Mar. 2026
The crowd turned electric, belting nearly every agonizingly confessional lyric.
—Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 5 Mar. 2026
The Sailors, who were making their first appearance in a Southern Section final, had numerous scoring opportunities and came agonizingly close to scoring several times.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonizingly
Adverb
-
Mary leaves four children, ages 10 to 17 — and relatives feuding so bitterly that the two families had to go to court to decide where Mary would be laid to rest and two separate memorial services were held.—
Jill Smolowe,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The strike was fought bitterly on both sides.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Of course, that sadly isn't possible.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
19 Apr. 2026
-
In a recent appearance on the High Performance YouTube channel, the former Ferrari boss and FIA president described an interaction with the Brazilian legend that could’ve drastically altered the course of Scuderia Ferrari, the sport, and sadly, Senna’s own life.—
Jerry Perez,
The Drive,
16 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
That it was released on this year’s second Coachella weekend seems painfully fitting.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The Lakers limped painfully into the playoffs Saturday night only to delightfully discover a miracle salve.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 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
-
For Rory McIlroy, the trek toward getting a second Masters championship got a little bit harder.—
Rod Beard,
AJC.com,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Some hurts Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen never returned because of a lower-body injury after being knocked hard into the boards by Hartman late in the first period.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 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 21 Apr. 2026.
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