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 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
The Americans came agonizingly close to winning that game.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
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
The Americans came agonizingly close to winning that game.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonizingly
Adverb
-
The approval comes as the parties are fighting bitterly over the policies of the Department of Homeland Security, leading to a funding lapse that is now in its 34th day.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The bitterly cold wind chills will linger through the morning commute, then gradually improve this afternoon as winds ease and temperatures climb.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
16 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
But, sadly, sometimes people do go leak classified information in those big settings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Ride sadly passed away July 23, 2012, at the age of 61, following a battle with a terminal illness.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
His answer is almost painfully endearing.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Both seasons were painfully funny (often just painful), but the humor sometimes got lost as time has proven even its most over-the-top bits eerily correct.—
Jennifer Silverman,
Rolling Stone,
29 Mar. 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
-
They are being hit so hard, anybody would be negotiating.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
There is serious concern that a stoppage that costs games could dampen the enthusiasm the sport worked hard to rebuild.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 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 1 Apr. 2026.
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