1
as in to persecute
to cause persistent suffering to
got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grieve
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
agonized for days over whether she'd done the right thing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agonize
With two more days left in the Disney trip, Dreyer faced a decision plenty of parents have agonized over — cut the vacation short or push through?
—
Ryan Brennan,
Sacbee.com,
13 Apr. 2026
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.
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Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
Tyran Stokes, hailed as the top prospect in the high school class of 2026, has bounced up and down the West Coast, attending three different high schools in four years, while fans on Reddit scrutinize his performance and national media agonize over his oscillating college decision.
—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
Even a lot of contemporary fiction, where the scenario of characters agonizing over whether to have children has become quite common, defaults to a laconic style (very short paragraphs separated by empty space, for example) that channels the familiar wariness about lushness.
—
Aaron Matz,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for agonize
Ryan Brennan,
Sacbee.com,
13 Apr. 2026
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
Tyran Stokes, hailed as the top prospect in the high school class of 2026, has bounced up and down the West Coast, attending three different high schools in four years, while fans on Reddit scrutinize his performance and national media agonize over his oscillating college decision.
—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
Even a lot of contemporary fiction, where the scenario of characters agonizing over whether to have children has become quite common, defaults to a laconic style (very short paragraphs separated by empty space, for example) that channels the familiar wariness about lushness.
—
Aaron Matz,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for agonize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonize
Verb
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The Washington Principles also recognize that many sales of artwork by Jews during the Nazi era occurred while they were being persecuted, or under duress.
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Representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine have been persecuted.
Verb
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Ask for Help Early Handling all these administrative duties alone while grieving is a burden no one should have to carry.
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Ramsay, a mother of four, including Dylan, has become someone grieving families often call when their child dies in the water.
Verb
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Andrew Harnik | Getty Images A rocky start The anniversary rollout has also been plagued by problems on the ground.
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In the 30 years following the tune’s release, disappointment has only continued to plague the Three Lions.
Verb
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Noticias Telemundo confirmed the deaths with Trejo’s soccer club, Club Sport Marítimo de La Guaira, which mourned the tragic loss of their player’s family.
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At two hundred and fifty, the job is not to mourn it.
Verb
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Jude, meanwhile, was shifting from tossing cones to tugging at his ears, afflicted with the same malady that had landed several of the toddlers on the room’s version of the injury list.
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Advertisement Mission hijacking in the nonprofit space A similar overcrowding afflicts the pro-democracy space today.
Verb
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For five days leading up to his donation, Siqueiros-Lasky will receive injections that spike his blood stem cell production, which can cause bone and muscle aches.
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But after a long day on the slopes, your aching limbs might need a cooldown, which is where the home’s sizable indoor pool comes in.
Verb
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What unfolds is a unique horror story that is unbelievably entertaining, psychologically torturing and incredibly fun.
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The brutal nature of her murder—she was believed to have been tortured, and her body was cut in half and provocatively posed—helped spark a media frenzy.
Verb
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Watching the hearing via Zoom from a prison holding room, Powell wiped his eyes and sighed heavily as Cribbs once again recited the facts of the case before Judge Rachelle Carnesale, explaining when Walton was fatally shot.
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Pino’s supporters sighed and sniffled when the verdict was announced.
Cite this Entry
“Agonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonize. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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