as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
agonizingly made the decision to have her beloved cat put to sleep
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Recent Examples of agonizingly
An agonizingly minuscule miss that can change the entire complexion of a game.
—
Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
At long last, with his skinned companions still agonizingly clinging to life beside him, the Jimmies' final victim, Tom (Louis Ashbourne Serkis), is offered an out.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Ole Miss comes up agonizingly short in what may be the strangest season of the modern era.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
At first, these were agonizingly slow and laborious series of movements designed to mortify the flesh – to help the spiritual overcome the physical – and instill discipline and union among the members.
—Christian Goodwillie, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
There is a lot of agonizingly unsubtle product placement — for AMC theaters, Starry soda, even Paramount itself.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
The pirates forced the survivors to help load the ship with as many ore containers as the ship could carry before sending them back to the ice moon to agonizingly await whatever would be their fate.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
The Democratic Party has held the governor’s mansion since 1985, including one agonizingly close election that is widely regarded by local Republicans to have been stolen.
—Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
Many of them leaned into generative AI and LLMs during their schooling, often doing so on their own since the university was either silent on the matter or was agonizingly trying to figure out what role AI should have in the medical education arena.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026
At long last, with his skinned companions still agonizingly clinging to life beside him, the Jimmies' final victim, Tom (Louis Ashbourne Serkis), is offered an out.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 16 Jan. 2026
Ole Miss comes up agonizingly short in what may be the strangest season of the modern era.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
At first, these were agonizingly slow and laborious series of movements designed to mortify the flesh – to help the spiritual overcome the physical – and instill discipline and union among the members.
—Christian Goodwillie, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
There is a lot of agonizingly unsubtle product placement — for AMC theaters, Starry soda, even Paramount itself.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
The pirates forced the survivors to help load the ship with as many ore containers as the ship could carry before sending them back to the ice moon to agonizingly await whatever would be their fate.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
The Democratic Party has held the governor’s mansion since 1985, including one agonizingly close election that is widely regarded by local Republicans to have been stolen.
—Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
Many of them leaned into generative AI and LLMs during their schooling, often doing so on their own since the university was either silent on the matter or was agonizingly trying to figure out what role AI should have in the medical education arena.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonizingly
Adverb
-
In the capital, Kyiv, temperatures well below zero and bitterly cold winds are expected for the next four days at least.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The business relationship appears to have ended bitterly, based on the emails.—
John Diedrich,
jsonline.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
So, Elliott Gould’s character, Legal, sadly dies this season.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Although the movie indicated that, sadly, little in Congress has changed — the same bickering and same patronage — our world has changed.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The Seahawks came painfully close to becoming back-to-back champions.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
But the ethical questions that the case had raised—about the meaning of family and the commodification of children, the tension between reproductive autonomy and contractual compulsion—were left painfully unresolved.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.—
Madhuri Vijay,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
What has been hardest is seeing ordinary lives, families, young people, civilians slowly reduced to headlines or abstractions, rather than recognized as individuals living under immense and sustained pressure.—
Emily Chan,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Essentially, what seem like small tweaks have noticeable impacts on control when pushing the ski hard.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
For their part, Democratic leaders spoke mournfully of limits, of energy shortages, of national decline, of a crisis of confidence itself.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Based on the Dylan Thomas prose poem of the same name, published in 1952, the film lovingly and mournfully depicts the boyhood Christmastime of an old Welshman, tenderly and a tad mischievously embodied by Elliott.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
21 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agonizingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonizingly. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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