AGONY Synonyms: 106 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'agony' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of agony are distress , misery , and suffering . While all these words mean "the state of being in great trouble," agony suggests pain too intense to be borne. // in agony over the death of their child

Q: Where would 'distress' be a reasonable alternative to 'agony'?

The words distress and agony are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, distress implies an external and usually temporary cause of great physical or mental strain and stress. // the hurricane put everyone in great distress

Q: When is it sensible to use 'misery' instead of 'agony'?

The meanings of misery and agony largely overlap; however, misery stresses the unhappiness attending especially sickness, poverty, or loss. // the homeless live with misery every day

Q: When is 'suffering' a more appropriate choice than 'agony'?

In some situations, the words suffering and agony are roughly equivalent. However, suffering implies conscious endurance of pain or distress. // the suffering of famine victims

agony

noun

ˈa-gə-nē

Definition of agony

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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How does the noun agony differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of agony are distress, misery, and suffering. While all these words mean "the state of being in great trouble," agony suggests pain too intense to be borne.

in agony over the death of their child

Where would distress be a reasonable alternative to agony?

The words distress and agony are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, distress implies an external and usually temporary cause of great physical or mental strain and stress.

the hurricane put everyone in great distress

When is it sensible to use misery instead of agony?

The meanings of misery and agony largely overlap; however, misery stresses the unhappiness attending especially sickness, poverty, or loss.

the homeless live with misery every day

When is suffering a more appropriate choice than agony?

In some situations, the words suffering and agony are roughly equivalent. However, suffering implies conscious endurance of pain or distress.

the suffering of famine victims

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 But for Roma, the agony for his missing son did not end that day. — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026 For Doe and other accusers, those public honors brought private agony. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 After an excruciating loss the night before, the Giants tasted a different flavor of agony in Friday night’s 10-6 loss to the New York Mets at Citi Field. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2026 In a world where women endure the impossible to bring new life into the world—holding agony and beauty all at once—shouldn’t women be celebrated for more than just their idealized form and youth? — Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for agony

Recent Examples of Synonyms for agony

Noun

That single choice unleashes a harrowing chain of strange and terrifying events in the dead of night, turning a simple gesture of kindness into a real-life nightmare.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026
Acceptance Soenen’s denial eventually gave way to panic attacks and nightmares.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of nightmare

Noun

However, as some researchers have pointed out, the available studies didn’t assess whether emotions are actually regulated through the chatbot, and therefore conflate distress relief with attachment.

— Pascal Vrticka, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2026
In a statement made through Carey, the Mayich family said Bales should be looking into why the workout was allowed and why it wasn't stopped when players were in visible distress with no water or rest.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of distress

Noun

There’s been an explosion that has caused a giant ice shelf dubbed Judy, one roughly the size of Boston, to detach.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2026
Blowing up a nuclear bomb in space would first destroy or disable any nearby satellites, and then the damage would spread as electronics-frying energetic particles from the explosion contaminated huge swaths of orbit.

— Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of explosion

Noun

Cubs fans generally don’t care about the Sox, so their misery was focused solely on their team’s no-show performance at Petco Park.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
The origin story helps contextualize the misery and self-isolation of Cathy’s later years, as the madam of a Salinas whorehouse.

— Alison Herman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of misery

Noun

The laser accelerated electrons through a gas, directing them into a solid target to create light bursts that generated muon pairs.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
In bursts of bright stanzas, Chen Chen transports us through the landscape of his childhood into his early twenties.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of burst

Noun

Unlike under his family’s 54-year police state – where public defiance could mean prison, torture, disappearance or death – they were allowed to go home.

— Tala Alrajjal, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026
Many have no criminal convictions and have been found to be at risk of torture or persecution, attorneys for the immigrants said.

— Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of torture

Noun

With exceptional performances from the entire cast and homages to musical legends like Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson, Bioh and White present a reflection of the Black female experience in all of its dazzling idiosyncrasies, triumphs and pains.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
One shopper with plantar fasciitis wore them on a European vacation and walked between 13,000 and 18,000 steps a day without pain.

— Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of pain

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agonizingly

agony

agrarian

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“Agony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agony. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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