agony

1 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 hell, Gehenna, horror, misery, murder, nightmare, torment, tortureRelated Words affliction, calvary, cross, curse, ordeal, trial, tribulation; calamity, misfortune, tragedy; gall, thorn; bummer, downer, dragNear Antonyms delight, diversion, entertainment, fun, joy, pleasure, recreation; lark, picnic, riotAntonyms heaven, paradise

2 a state of great suffering of body or mind the agony of never knowing what happened to her son Synonyms affliction, distress, anguish, excruciation, hurt, misery, pain, rack, strait(s), torment, torture, travail, tribulation, woeRelated Words discomfort; cross, crucible, trial; heartache, heartbreak, joylessness, sadness, sorrow, unhappiness; emergency, pinch; asperity, difficulty, hardship, rigor; ache, pang, smarting, soreness, stitch, throe, twinge; danger, jeopardy, troubleNear Antonyms comfort, consolation, solace; alleviation, assuagement, ease, relief; peace, security; well-being

3 a sudden intense expression of strong feeling the announcement that the war was over unleashed a mass agony of joy Synonyms outburst, blaze, burst, ebullition, eruption, explosion, fit, flare, flare-up, flash, flush, gale, gush, gust, paroxysm, spasm, stormRelated Words blowup, grouch, rage, tantrum; ecstasy, rapture, transport; delirium, firestorm, frenzy, furor