1
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
agonizing cries rose up from the dungeon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to
got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grieving
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
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Recent Examples of agonizing
Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026
No easy options to cut Medicaid While nearly everyone accepts that cutting Medicaid is inevitable, the choices for how to do it can be agonizing.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
Rand Richards Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2026
Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 26 Dec. 2025
Their injuries are stomach-turning, their cries agonizing.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agonizing
Adjective
The show did not overtly discuss the agonizing circumstances facing the Guthrie family.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026
No easy options to cut Medicaid While nearly everyone accepts that cutting Medicaid is inevitable, the choices for how to do it can be agonizing.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
Noun
My agonizing over a coin toss illustrates the basic distortion that gambling exerts on spectating.
—Rand Richards Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
In her second memoir, Keaton still admits to agonizing over her thinning hair.
—Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 26 Dec. 2025
Their injuries are stomach-turning, their cries agonizing.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agonizing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonizing
Adjective
-
Every labored breath and painful cough is a reminder that their parents did everything right and relied on the immunity of those around them.—
Sarah Marsicek,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The Bruins’ have suffered more dramatically painful losses on home ice in recent memory.—
Stephen Conroy,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Another wrenching question, of course, is whether at least the younger Perez siblings would want or need to go with Olga to Guatemala if she were deported.—
Tim Padgett,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
-
These four novels create a convincing, wrenching, kaleidoscopic picture of the range and repetitions of the most fatal kind of love; the sort of love that allows nothing else to grow around it, that eradicates all dignity; a love which, in order to be completed, must be told.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
By focusing the mind on thoughts and feelings, a meditating person begins to unlearn conventional perspectives and mental attitudes that are the root of suffering.—
Charles Preston,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Meadows told the lawmakers how painful all the delays were and about the suffering Cindy experienced in her final moments alive.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Melton channels that indecision into a physicality that feels like a child being told to sit still and smiles that increasingly don’t reach his eyes.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The California governor’s race remains characterized by chaos and low voter engagement despite significant scandals and drama, with widespread indecision affecting both parties as election day approaches less than 50 days away.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Windy conditions will still be plaguing most of Colorado on Thursday.—
Dave Aguilera,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
However, this isn’t a question only plaguing actors.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The teen's grieving family has launched an online fundraiser to help with funeral expenses.—
Shaddi Abusaid,
AJC.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Two siblings are grieving the loss of their parents, identified in an online post as victims of the shooting.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Accusations were made, lawsuits were filed, harsh words were spoken and feelings were hurt.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
It’s prized for sculpting a high-definition lip that holds up under the harshest red-carpet lighting.—
Micaela English,
Glamour,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Activists claim the animals were living in torturous conditions and were being used for medical research.—
Brady Halbleib,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
-
But sad books need not be torturous books.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agonizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonizing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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