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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agony
And your character is in such agony.
—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Cue convulsions and expressions of agony.
—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
Pure white cloth, born in the murderous toil of slavery, formed in debilitating factory conditions, and finished through the agony of Sicilian children, was bleached in more ways than one.
—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
15 June 2026
The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.
—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
14 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for agony
Alison Herman,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Cue convulsions and expressions of agony.
—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
Pure white cloth, born in the murderous toil of slavery, formed in debilitating factory conditions, and finished through the agony of Sicilian children, was bleached in more ways than one.
—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
15 June 2026
The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.
—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
14 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for agony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agony
Noun
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Throw in an undercover mission to catch a mall theft ring and Riley’s got herself a true nightmare before Christmas.
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What initially seems like the perfect place for a rescue mission quickly turns into a nightmare.
Noun
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The Hoffmans are suing Boelter for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
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Not to mention smoking hot Hart Bochner as the himbo-in-distress.
Noun
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In 2013, a truck and train collided in the same area, leading to a chemical explosion.
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The rocket’s explosion took out its only launch pad, LC-36A.
Noun
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The episodes seemed to wallow in Carmy’s misery, along with the frustrations of everyone around him.
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That’s a recipe for in-flight misery.
Noun
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Canada’s first-ever World Cup win was overshadowed yesterday when midfielder Ismaël Koné suffered a broken leg after a tackle that left teammates shaken and coach Jesse Marsch lamenting an injury that turned a night of celebration into one of anguish.
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Lost in the Brazilian tears, anguish and confusion was just how clinical the Germans had been.
Noun
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Comprising 1,650 radio dishes, the telescope aims to study black holes, spinning dead stars and radio bursts from deep space.
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The concept of producing electricity from ion movement is not new, and as Kim explained, electric eels use a similar principle in nature, generating electrical bursts by controlling ion flow across specialized cells known as electrocytes.
Noun
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The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday that practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual movement cannot sue tech giant Cisco over allegations of aiding the Chinese government’s surveillance and torture of the group.
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Surviving former residents alleged that rape and torture had been routine there for decades, especially under segregation, when Black boys bore the worst of the abuse.
Noun
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Margera tried to soothe the pain by submerging his fresh brand in a tub of filthy farm water, which resulted in a life-threatening staph infection that landed him in the hospital.
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The pain from high tuition does not stem from extraordinary tuition growth but rather from the lack of a commensurate growth rate in median family income.
Cite this Entry
“Agony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agony. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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