agonize
verb
ag·o·nize
ˈa-gə-ˌnīz 
agonized; agonizing
1
: to suffer agony, torture, or anguish
agonizes over every decision
2
: struggle
Synonyms
Examples of agonize in a Sentence
got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother
agonized for days over whether she'd done the right thing
Recent Examples on the Web
During a meeting Tuesday hosted by the American Council on Education, college officials agonized over what the freeze would mean for minority-serving schools.
—
Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
The team agonized over the shoot and post-production, intent on making a pilot that was ready to air, not just a proof of concept.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2025
Trouble is, the world and America’s rivals don’t stand still while the West agonizes thus internally and shrinks from its global commitments.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 29 Jan. 2025
Research conducted in which the authors were involved found that such an approach may be a waste of time and resources and that the experts trying to pick the winners from the finalists agonize and can’t really determine the clearly superior choices.
—Monika Kackovic
dirk Deichmann, Harvard Business Review, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for agonize 
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Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
The team agonized over the shoot and post-production, intent on making a pilot that was ready to air, not just a proof of concept.
—Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2025
Trouble is, the world and America’s rivals don’t stand still while the West agonizes thus internally and shrinks from its global commitments.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 29 Jan. 2025
Research conducted in which the authors were involved found that such an approach may be a waste of time and resources and that the experts trying to pick the winners from the finalists agonize and can’t really determine the clearly superior choices.
—Monika Kackovic
dirk Deichmann, Harvard Business Review, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for agonize
Dictionary Entries Near agonize
Cite this Entry
“Agonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agonize. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
agonize
verb
ag·o·nize
ˈag-ə-ˌnīz
agonized; agonizing
: to suffer or cause to suffer extreme pain or anguish of body or mind
agonizingly
adverb
-ˌnī-ziŋ-lē
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