1
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
agonizing cries rose up from the dungeon
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful
died an agonizing death
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in suffering
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in indecision
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to
got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother
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2
as in grieving
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
agonized for days over whether she'd done the right thing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agonizing
Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
However, watching the slow and steady movement of a horrific storm on a collision course with my beloved land over the last several days was agonizing.
—Grace White, Essence, 29 Oct. 2025
Thomas Drance, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Playoff roster decisions are agonizing for every Major League Baseball front office, but the Toronto Blue Jays are dealing with some particularly tough calls this year.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agonizing
Adjective
The Toronto Blue Jays, absent for decades from the party, will long rue the agonizing finale.
—Verb
As a result, the sort of trade talks and deals that Vancouver is currently exploring, weighing and even agonizing about in advance of the season are of a different variety entirely.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonizing
Adjective
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Proper skin preparation is key to making your wax sessions less painful.—
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The high fevers, hospitalizations, and dehydration that these illnesses cause can be painful and disruptive—and, with vaccines, avoidable.—
Adjective
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Warfare Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s Warfare is an admirable attempt to counter the truism that there’s no such thing as an anti-war movie — that all war movies, however gruesome or wrenching, effectively (and often unwittingly) wind up glamorizing combat to some degree.—
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One particularly wrenching moment in the film made an impression on her stepfather, Kurt Russell.—
Noun
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The Rimba Satwa Foundation — a conservation organization dedicated to advocating for elephants and wildlife — has linked the tragedy to the suffering elephants are facing amid the rapid destruction of their habitat, such as changes in land use, and high levels of hunting.—
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In the future, retrons and other gene-editing technology may do more than just reduce and eliminate suffering.—
Noun
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Food halls Food halls are our answer to group indecision.—
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Her character, Zosia, may have had to honor Carol Sturka’s (Rhea Seehorn) request for an atom bomb, but based on their parting glance, Wydra still senses some indecision from Carol about this manner of escalation.—
Verb
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Both cases are apt to serve as models for how to prevent the kind of school shootings still plaguing the nation and could set legal precedent for who shoulders the blame when children have access to guns and open fire on campus.—
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The Live With Kelly and Mark talk show hostess seemingly hasn't known peace on the scariest day of the year for quite some time, but not because of ghosts and ghoulies plaguing her — but, rather, ungrateful neighbors who consistently complain about her Halloween candy.—
Verb
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Before the tournament, Damon's endurance coach, Patrick Peterson, was grieving the loss of his 14-year-old son, Armani Peterson, who was killed in the Stockton birthday party shooting that drew national attention.—
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On Netflix April 24, 2026 | Action Thriller A grieving woman testing her limits in the Australian wilderness is suddenly ensnared in a deadly game with a ruthless predator.—
Adjective
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Bipartisan harsh criticism Senators from both sides of the aisle blasted the investigation.—
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Common exfoliators and fine line-eliminators like retinol and glycolic acid are too harsh on my skin, but this serum utilizes lactic acid, which is far more gentle but just as potent.—
Adjective
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September 22 Lucas Museum opens After a long, semi-torturous process, George Lucas’s grand vision for a public museum containing an impressive collection of paintings, drawings, and film memorabilia will finally come to fruition.—
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During this increasingly torturous adjustment period, Millie learns Nina spent some time in a psychiatric facility years earlier after allegedly leaving Cece to drown in a bathtub and taking enough pills to kill herself.—
Cite this Entry
“Agonizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonizing. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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