AGONIZE Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

agonize

verb

ˈa-gə-ˌnīz

Definition of agonize

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

as in to grieve

to feel deep sadness or mental pain agonized for days over whether she'd done the right thing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of agonize To your point, agonizing about everything isn’t doing me any favors. — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026 People often agonize over how to ask for a raise at work, trying to determine when to speak up and how to make their case. — Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 12 May 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 Not every meeting summary or line of code needs to be agonized over, farewell to arms-style. — Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for agonize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonize

Verb

Although the two programs similarly target humanitarian concerns, being a TPS holder does not guarantee asylum, which requires that applicants prove they’ve been persecuted on specific grounds.

— Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Aug. 2026
In The Bacchae, Dionysus becomes violent only because his existence has been denied and his followers persecuted, and his maenads similarly become destructive only when pursued.

— Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 31 July 2026

Definition of persecute

Verb

Airlines around the world are currently plagued by delays in their efforts to deliver new premium offerings — including increasing passenger demand for privacy, high-tech connectivity and inflight entertainment — to meet the surge in air travel.

— Edward Russell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Klubnik will need to limit the turnovers that plagued him at Clemson during his final season.

— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of plague

Verb

Those closest to Mazur are now mourning much more than an accomplished musician.

— Naveen Dhaliwal, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Li, 24, wasn't the only left mourning the loss of a virtual companion when major Chinese tech companies recently pulled the plug on their popular AI companion services to comply with new government restrictions.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of mourn

Verb

That means protections for those who have been vaccinated will weaken and wane as the disease afflicts those who haven’t, threatening public health as a whole.

— New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026
Health advocates consider an official definition of ultraprocessed food a key step toward bringing greater scrutiny to meals that are blamed for multiple chronic health problems afflicting Americans.

— Matthew Perrone, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of afflict

Verb

Common symptoms include fever, headaches, body aches, joint pain, rash, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC.

— Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
There are cameos, twists and a fair amount of busywork setting up future films, but but the film’s focus remains squarely on Holland’s twin mission of defeating a mysterious new enemy and dealing with the aching loss of his girlfriend.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of ache

Verb

Arabella’s adoptive mother, Leticia McCormack, and her parents, Adella and Stanley Tom, were arrested three months later and accused of torturing the young girl to death.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
During his tenure, more than a dozen teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a school wall in Daraa were arrested and tortured.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of torture

Verb

Otherwise, Bridge — and any forthcoming program of the sort — risks becoming less a pathway to better care than another obstacle along the way, and another reason for physicians and patients alike to sigh.

— Jeffrey Millstein, STAT, 11 Aug. 2026
But Taylor eventually sighed and launched into an answer on his own.

— Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026

Definition of sigh

Browse Nearby Words

agonistic

agonize

agonized

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Agonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonize. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of agonize

verb

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