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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agony
Or simply anger that any parent would have to suffer the agony of having a missing child.
—
Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026
Most Miami Beach residents and visitors have likely seen the giant bronze sculpture of an outstretched arm reaching to the sky as hundreds of small human figures cling to it and each other with expressions of agony.
—Lauren Costantino
march 27, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
But in the short term, the decision is likely to be popular with millions of Americans who’ve seen all the airport agony and have never liked the idea of using federal government shutdowns — of any kind, by either party — to win partisan policy fights.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
And yet, in the scene on the Hill of Love, Lapid offers no self-questioning, no sense of cinematic exertion or trouble, in the fictional framing of the real agonies of Gaza.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for agony
Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026
Most Miami Beach residents and visitors have likely seen the giant bronze sculpture of an outstretched arm reaching to the sky as hundreds of small human figures cling to it and each other with expressions of agony.
—Lauren Costantino
march 27, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
But in the short term, the decision is likely to be popular with millions of Americans who’ve seen all the airport agony and have never liked the idea of using federal government shutdowns — of any kind, by either party — to win partisan policy fights.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
And yet, in the scene on the Hill of Love, Lapid offers no self-questioning, no sense of cinematic exertion or trouble, in the fictional framing of the real agonies of Gaza.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for agony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agony
Noun
-
Their dream home is still a dream except that these people are making their backyard, their beach, a nightmare.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
-
David Mirković is a mismatch nightmare.—
Sean Hammond,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There is a long history of women's pain being dismissed by doctors, incorrectly categorized as period pain or rooted in psychological distress.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The lawsuit accuses the driver, named as a defendant, of assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Days after the explosion, Amin called his mother in Iran again, with better news.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
However, an oxygen-tank explosion 56 hours after launch scotched those plans and put the mission into survival mode.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In that case, misery turned into something less miserable (at least until the start of the playoffs).—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Two decades of misery In truth, Italy started the game on top, scoring in the 15th minute through Fiorentina forward Moise Kean to set up what should have been a smooth, routine win.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But some congregants’ anguish over October 7th was compounded by dread about Israel’s brutal, indiscriminate response.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Accenting the anguish by bizarre apparent coincidence, less than two weeks later the National Basketball Rules Committee reinstated the dunk — it had been banned for nearly a decade at the amateur level.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In that last year — like the end of a fireworks show — the lawyers set off a burst of filings and arguments over what evidence and which experts could go in front of a jury.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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Such districts are often formed when a school district is experiencing a burst of development or enrollment growth concentrated in certain areas, explained Erica Gonzales, a managing director at the investment bank Stifel who specializes in California school financing.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Amnesty International has said that the use of the death penalty under the new measure could violate the right to life and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as enshrined in international law.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
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Pearl, now 42, pleaded guilty to murder in February 2018 and admitted to a special circumstance allegation of murder involving torture.—
Rick Montanez,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Bank, a New York surgeon who founded a clinic focused on post-mastectomy pain, said the pain is believed to be triggered by nerves that are severed during surgery and then left that way.—
Brett Kelman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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Falter said there was some lingering pain on Wednesday.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agony. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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