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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agony
What began as a blissful afternoon in the Florida sun ended in agony when a Jeep Wrangler suddenly barreled over a man lying on the beach, police said.
—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Black is the ideal guy for the job here, screaming in agony while applying the nightmare product, and using Chester Cheetah as the alarmed straight man is inspired.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025
That’s why there have countless films and even a couple of series constructed around the agony and the ecstasy of moviemaking.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2025
Yet Mitch cannot overcome his childhood agonies or mature with his peers or his country.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Black is the ideal guy for the job here, screaming in agony while applying the nightmare product, and using Chester Cheetah as the alarmed straight man is inspired.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2025
That’s why there have countless films and even a couple of series constructed around the agony and the ecstasy of moviemaking.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2025
Yet Mitch cannot overcome his childhood agonies or mature with his peers or his country.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agony
Noun
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Package delivery and unpaid toll texts have taken most of the headlines, but an even worse threat is proving a nightmare for phone users.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
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What begins as an ordinary parental milestone descends into a nightmare as a cross-border search unfolds.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Kahle said that includes providing resources to participants for whom sharing experiences of intimate partner violence may cause trauma or mental health distress.—
Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan,
Miami Herald,
20 Apr. 2025
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Costa Rican officials have disputed reports by the country’s Ombudsman’s Office that the deportees arrived in Costa Rica in visible distress and that authorities failed to guarantee proper conditions for arriving deportees.—
Megan Janetsky,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Martin's son Gabe, hiding alone under a blanket, said the explosion left his ears ringing and smelled like burning batteries.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
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The explosion of laws meant to protect minors from potentially harmful online content perhaps sounds noble at first glance, but with a second pass the laws read as superfluous.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Kennedy described addiction as both a source of misery and a symptom of deeper pain, drawing from his own experience of trying to fill an emotional void with drugs.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
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Now, though, The Last of Us is as blinded as Ellie is by misery.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But Season 2, by leaning so far into its characters’ anguish, has become more circular and suffocating in its storytelling.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
21 Apr. 2025
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Coogler attempts to out-scare Jordan Peele’s Get Out, using horror tropes to match the anguish expressed by the blues.—
Armond White,
National Review,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Hubble Space Telescope's recent deep-dive into Andromeda has been able to track the disorder in M31 that the merger left in its wake: streams of stars cannibalized from the galaxy eaten by M31 and producing a burst of star formation.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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All the nervous energy that had built up at American Airlines Center was released in a burst of delirious joy.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Orlov said Ukrainian POWs and civilians are known to be held in harsh conditions, where allegations of abuse and torture are common.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Apr. 2025
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The principle of universal jurisdiction allows for the prosecution of crimes such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and torture committed on foreign territory by persons who are not nationals of the jurisdiction in question.—
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Perhaps Vrabel values the toughness Hill showed in playing through pain.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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Antivirals: Ear pain related to viruses may require antiviral medications.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agony. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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