1
as in nightmare
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
waiting all those hours to hear if he'd survived the plane crash was pure agony
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
the agony of never knowing what happened to her son
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in explosion
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
the announcement that the war was over unleashed a mass agony of joy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 agony
People starving in their rooms, knowing that to go outside meant something worse than the agony of hunger.
—
David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The wife ushers the two frightened boys behind her, and watches on helplessly as her husband screams in agony and terror, thrashing his arms and legs.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Please, more of Isabella lightly teasing Marty about his tendency to flagellate himself while considering the agony of the human condition.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Aches and pains don’t compare to the agony of an unrealized dream.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The wife ushers the two frightened boys behind her, and watches on helplessly as her husband screams in agony and terror, thrashing his arms and legs.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Please, more of Isabella lightly teasing Marty about his tendency to flagellate himself while considering the agony of the human condition.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Aches and pains don’t compare to the agony of an unrealized dream.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agony
Noun
-
People who have extreme nightmares from PTSD can use NightWare, a prescription-only system that comes with a preprogrammed Apple Watch and detects if the wearer is having a nightmare.—
Nancy Walecki,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
-
In the decades since, gothic nightmares like Crimson Peak and supernatural horrors like Poltergeist have risen as staples of the subgenre.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Appearing in court on Monday, Barton pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of sending a grossly offensive communication with the intention of causing distress or anxiety.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The family is seeking damages for negligence and emotional distress.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The cause of the fire and explosion was not immediately clear.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
-
The explosion of sports betting into the American sports industry was abrupt and jarring, and nobody is quite used to it yet.—
David Hill,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Springsteen grew up alongside rock’n’roll, absorbing its origin story and waiting for the day when his ability to write a killer riff would transport him from the misery of living with a father who didn’t understand him, shut off from a world that promised so much but gave so little.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Whether the Monster is part of Ana’s imagination or not, the scene carries a fragile, haunting power, suggesting that the only person capable of rescuing Ana from the pervasive mystery and misery of her home life belongs to the supernatural, outside the punishing borders of Franco’s Spain.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The towering performance has generated major Oscar buzz since the film’s premiere at Telluride, where audiences were visibly shaken — and deeply moved — by Buckley’s portrayal of a mother’s anguish.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The lawsuit, filed by Morgan & Morgan, says the woman lost consciousness and suffered permanent bodily injury, mental anguish, and more in the incident on the Mako coaster on March 24.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Ingram’s running mate, junior G’yrell Smith, was another key contributor with 160 yards and 2 touchdowns on 15 attempts — the highlight of his performance was a 90-yard third quarter touchdown burst.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Wilson ran through traffic with a violent burst to pick up a first down and iced the game on a 6-yard run.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Horrific torture videos are currently circulating on social media — and being sent to families around the world.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The overwhelming majority of experts dispute that torture actually works as an interrogation technique, arguing that any information that comes out of it is unreliable as people under duress will say anything needed to convince their torturers to stop.—
Ellen Mitchell,
The Hill,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Ergofoot Orthopedic Slippers For those on my holiday list who have more sensitive and pain-prone feet, this orthopedic pair stands out from the crowd.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
According to my friends from STATS Perform, only six other relief pitchers in World Series history can share his pain.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agony. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share