1
as in nightmare
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
waiting all those hours to hear if he'd survived the plane crash was pure agony
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
the agony of never knowing what happened to her son
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in explosion
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
the announcement that the war was over unleashed a mass agony of joy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agony
As Dieter screamed in agony, Kier fled to the waterfall to escape the sound.
—
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Feb. 2025
The woman continued to experience abdominal pain for years after her procedure, but the source of the agony could not be explained by her doctors, the lawsuit said.
—Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2025
Staff Sergeant Kennedy Robinson barked at a recruit whose arms were twitching in agony.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
Or their parents’ agony, night and day, for the past five years.
—David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Feb. 2025
The woman continued to experience abdominal pain for years after her procedure, but the source of the agony could not be explained by her doctors, the lawsuit said.
—Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2025
Staff Sergeant Kennedy Robinson barked at a recruit whose arms were twitching in agony.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
Or their parents’ agony, night and day, for the past five years.
—David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agony
Noun
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The 1974 Best Picture Award Was Interrupted by an Onstage Streaker While most people have nightmares about being naked onstage in front of a massive group of people, 33-year-old Robert Opel did it voluntarily… during the most anticipated moment of Hollywood’s biggest night!—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
2 Mar. 2025
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Miller followed up a promising rookie year with a nightmare 2024, putting up an 8.52 ERA in 13 starts.—
Daniel R. Epstein,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Forbes is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Mexico, Canada, and China are the first, second, and third largest trading partners of the U.S. Markets React to Tariff Disruption Equities markets indicated distress in a number of ways.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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Get ahead of a tween’s difficult feelings by recognizing the early signs of emotional distress, such as disruption in sleep and less interest in their hobbies, and reroute all-or-nothing thoughts, suggests Daniel Huy, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at Hackensack Meridian Health.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Given the explosion of WNBA collectibles — a Caitlin Clark rookie card sold for $234,850 back in December, or roughly the current max salary a WNBA player can earn under the current CBA — this is some extremely high-value territory.—
Howard Megdal,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Plans for the upcoming flight test, which SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced this week, come a little more than a month since the last Starship launch ended in an explosion minutes after lifting off from Starbase in South Texas.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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One of the few remaining positives in his life is upended before the pilot comes to a close, pushing poor Ted that much further into misery.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
23 Feb. 2025
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Human misery and environmental devastation proved the cost of turning coffee from a luxury good into a staple.—
Peter S. Goodman,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
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But last year's Olympics were also a major source of anguish.—
Christopher Intagliata,
NPR,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Every repeat viewing of Abraham's performance reveals some new moment of humiliation — some fresh sickening glimmer of anguish that feels all too familiar.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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For a color burst, look to Proenza Schouler, Dear Frances, and Cos—these pleasant spring hues will break up the dreariness of the current season.—
Cortne Bonilla,
Vogue,
5 Mar. 2025
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Customers, including businesses, governments and individuals, will be able to request light bursts by simply entering their location's GPS coordinates online.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Camarena’s body was found a month later with evidence of torture and abuse.—
Greg Wehner,
Fox News,
28 Feb. 2025
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But the two youngest children, Russell and Eve, were taken with Ruby in the move to Ivins — and were subjected to cruel torture at the hands of their mother and her business partner.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The poor guy is just so ready to put the pain of his childhood behind him and build a family where everyone eats dinner together at night, and no one ever feels alone.—
Kristen Baldwin,
EW.com,
25 Feb. 2025
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From northern to southern border, how states will feel the pain Two examples of state economies dependent on a reciprocal trade relationship are the cross-border trades involving Maine and New Mexico.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agony. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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