1
as in persecutes
to cause persistent suffering to
got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grieves
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
agonized for days over whether she'd done the right thing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 agonizes
Her ex-husband, a good father, refuses to move the boy to the town and Eden agonizes about taking the boy from his friends and school in the Twin Cities.
—
Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
McClarnon, 59, not only stars but produces, directs and agonizes about getting it right.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026
McClarnon, 59, not only stars but produces, directs and agonizes about getting it right.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonizes
Verb
-
China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The film follows a woman who grieves the loss of her mother by secretly attending the funerals of strangers.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Another family quietly grieves in North Carolina While the string of attacks rattles several communities in Georgia, Prianna Weathers’ mother mourns privately in her North Carolina home.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And as a fight over the reauthorization of a key national security surveillance law plagues the lower chamber, moving forward with the DHS funding hasn't appeared to be a top priority.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The reclined riding position spreads body weight evenly, eliminating the back, neck, and wrist strain that plagues conventional cycling.—
Omar Kardoudi
April 20,
New Atlas,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Community mourns teen who never returned home Celeste’s family has largely stayed out of public view since her body was discovered.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Community mourns loss of teen A vigil was held at the park Monday night to remember the teen who was a student at Eagle Academy, just down the street.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Consider osteoarthritis, which afflicts roughly 33 million Americans by gradually wearing down cartilage in the joints.—
Bryan T. Kelly,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Regeneron also gained Food and Drug Administration approval on April 23 for its gene therapy, Otarmeni, which will be prescribed to treat a rare type of hearing loss that afflicts about 50 newborns in the United States each year.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
No subtle sighs about the laundry pile.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
-
In the series premiere of Netflix’s Vladimir, Rachel Weisz awakens from troubled sleep to a cascade of texts, sighs deeply, and addresses the camera with pleading eyes.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The retrospection tortures her.—
Alexandra Rockey Fleming,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Later, in one of the movie's most satisfying scenes, Millie locks Andrew in the attic and tortures him by loudly smashing each plate.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the symptoms of Legionnaires' disease are similar to those of other types of pneumonia, including cough, fever, headache, muscle aches, and shortness of breath.—
Carly Sauvageau,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Babesiosis, transmitted by blacklegged ticks, can cause flu-like symptoms — fever, chills, fatigue and muscle aches — and can be severe or fatal in older adults or those with weakened immune systems, according to scientists.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agonizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonizes. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
