agonizing

adjective

ag·​o·​niz·​ing ˈa-gə-ˌnī-ziŋ How to pronounce agonizing (audio)
Synonyms of agonizingnext
: causing agony
an agonizing injury
agonizingly adverb

Synonyms of agonizing

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of agonizing in a Sentence

a long and agonizing battle with cancer She made the agonizing decision to cancel the trip. The agonizing wait was finally over. He was in agonizing pain.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But Semeru provides a crucial intimacy for Etna, whose experience of the war has been one of agonizing isolation. — Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026 Those looking to avoid an agonizing morning commute or a chaotic weekend trip to the city should steer clear of the following areas. — Hannah Hudnall, USA Today, 30 July 2026 Alanna Schermerhorn-Wallace confronted Colt directly about watching her brother’s final moments on surveillance video, while oldest sister Lilianah Ahmed tearfully recalled the agonizing wait to learn whether Mason had survived. — Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 24 July 2026 That’s vastly preferable to their endless, agonizing string of errors of omission. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for agonizing

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of agonize

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of agonizing was in 1570

Browse Nearby Words

agonized
agonizing
Agonostomus
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Agonizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agonizing. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on agonizing

Nglish: Translation of agonizing for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of torpor

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All