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
This multi-generational story explores the beauty, agony, and hilarity of loving other people deeply.
—
Angelique Jackson, Variety, 8 May 2026
Hidden is the agony of parents mourning the loss of their babies.
—Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 6 May 2026
The breakup with Claude is why Mathias left Lyon and radically changed his life, and their encounter brings his romantic agony rushing back.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
That’s a woman reaching up in agony and fear.
—Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for agony
Angelique Jackson, Variety, 8 May 2026
Hidden is the agony of parents mourning the loss of their babies.
—Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 6 May 2026
The breakup with Claude is why Mathias left Lyon and radically changed his life, and their encounter brings his romantic agony rushing back.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
That’s a woman reaching up in agony and fear.
—Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for agony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agony
Noun
-
The Los Angeles Dodgers could face a massive PR nightmare from LA vegans as star pitcher Edwin Diaz finds himself at the center of a federal animal cruelty scandal.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
-
Brutal start for Ducks The first period was an absolute nightmare for the Ducks.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Is rapid weight gain the cause of the patient’s distress?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Developer John Dewberry bought the building out of distress in 2010 for $36 million.—
Savannah Sicurella,
AJC.com,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Rubin, with the exquisite detail of its images, is well placed to find these types of events, in which stars disappear in explosions that can be too faint for other surveys to see.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
15 May 2026
-
In New York City, the explosion of rideshare pickups and last-mile delivery overwhelmed curbside infrastructure built for a different era.—
Chase Garbarino,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The parallels between Ines’ dilemma and that of a nation being asked to lick its wounds in silence — in the name of moving on from past miseries — are present but elusive.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
14 May 2026
-
There are fun bad teams, or teams that at least make a unique bonding experience out of their specific type of misery.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Annah’s resulting anguish is so uncomfortable for the others, that Ibrahim and Jacques practically come to blows.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
Yet masculinism also functions as a perpetual-motion machine of grievance, an inarticulate howl of anguish at the status quo—whatever that currently is.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
All over the dress, shimmering sequins created bursts of firework-like patterning, with varied tones of metallic silver.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
17 May 2026
-
The Tempo went on a 10-0 burst heading into the second quarter but the Sparks countered to maintain momentum and led 46-38 at halftime.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Think Medieval torture chamber for animals.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
18 May 2026
-
The activists accused Israeli forces of torture, which Israel denied.—
Suzan Fraser,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
-
Guilfoyle said helpful approaches include increasing enrichment and sniff-based activities on walks, providing more structured chewing opportunities, treating underlying nausea, reflux, pain or anxiety if present, and redirecting with food or toys before the dog starts grazing heavily.—
Diana Bocco,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agony. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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