1
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
agonizing cries rose up from the dungeon
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2
as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful
died an agonizing death
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1
as in suffering
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2
as in indecision
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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of agonizing
Holly Yan, CNN, 19 Nov. 2024
That has been an especially agonizing question for Palestinians in Gaza, ordered to and fro by Israel for more than a year.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Oct. 2024
These decisions are already inherently agonizing in and of themselves, only to be compounded by the uncertainty of what will and will not be covered by insurance.
—Renee Hsia, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Navigating long-term health care for older adults is an agonizing challenge faced by millions of people across the U.S.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for agonizing 
Adjective
Phillips, her husband John, and Riley’s father, Jason Riley, have sat through hours of agonizing testimony and evidence.
—Holly Yan, CNN, 19 Nov. 2024
That has been an especially agonizing question for Palestinians in Gaza, ordered to and fro by Israel for more than a year.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Oct. 2024
These decisions are already inherently agonizing in and of themselves, only to be compounded by the uncertainty of what will and will not be covered by insurance.
—Renee Hsia, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Navigating long-term health care for older adults is an agonizing challenge faced by millions of people across the U.S.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for agonizing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonizing
Adjective
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Survivor: Thailand The fake merge and brutal last challenge — where the final three had to hold coins between their fingers in a crazy painful pose — keep this dud out of the bottom spot.Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
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Her symptoms were pretty challenging—a series of painful nodules that needed to be lanced and drained.Julia Ries, SELF, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Other nations achieve better results with fewer resources, yet Americans endure higher rates of suffering and preventable deaths.Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
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Among the topics broached by visitors were true love, the afterlife, feelings of solitude, war and suffering in the world, as well as the existence of God.Brian Cheng, NBC News, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Barron is a good skater with a decent shot and strong offensive instincts, but his game in his own end has suffered from moments of indecision and a lack of assertiveness in killing plays, leading to extended shifts in the defensive zone.Arpon Basu, The Athletic, 19 Dec. 2024
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The Christmas lights are on, party season is in full swing and the debilitating indecision that haunts shopping for family members is building.Paul Caputo, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
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In another portion of her interview with PEOPLE, June talked about the myriad emotions she's experienced while grieving her late daughter.Raven Brunner, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
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So to everybody who's grieving, who's lost someone in this room, listen to me, just grieve.Tommy McArdle, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The corps’ push for additional benefits coincided with a harsh realization for the British Army: For white men, service in the West Indies was viewed as a death sentence due to the high risk of disease.Kinsey Gidick, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
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With his latest project, he’s found a balance between the harsher realities of the real world, and his own playful spirit.Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The two halves of this character combine in a captivating performance for which Goggins was happy to endure a torturous prosthetic.Ryan Fleming, Deadline, 13 June 2024
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According to the political scientist Pierre Englebert, the Congolese government and people lose as much as $4 billion in revenue every year due to state agents’ manipulation of mining contracts and payments, torturous budget practices, and outright theft.Stephen R. Weissman, Foreign Affairs, 8 June 2015
Noun
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Focus on retention, education, activation, new tech and rewarding your people to start the next year with momentum, not hesitation.Yogesh Shah, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
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Despite potential hesitation from fellow Republicans, Trump persists that the former Fox News host is ethically equipped to handle the role.Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Muscles aching from the weight of each 55-pound projectile, the repetition, the heat, Fernandez lost track of himself, too busy to think, too scared to stop, not unlike his time in the ring up against any another flyweight.Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
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Overall, Geersen sees many of the consumer products on the market as beneficial for younger, healthier people, or those with swelling and aching from being on their feet for prolonged periods.Matt Benoit, Discover Magazine, 6 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near agonizing
Cite this Entry
“Agonizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonizing. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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