agony
Americannoun
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agonies
plural
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extreme and generally prolonged pain; intense physical or mental suffering.
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a display or outburst of intense mental or emotional excitement.
an agony of joy.
- Synonyms:
- paroxysm
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the struggle preceding natural death.
mortal agony.
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a violent struggle.
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Theology. Often Agony the sufferings of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane.
noun
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acute physical or mental pain; anguish
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the suffering or struggle preceding death
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informal to exaggerate one's distress for sympathy or greater effect
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(modifier) relating to or advising on personal problems about which people have written to the media
agony column
agony writer
Usage
What does agony mean? Agony is extreme pain or suffering, especially the kind that lasts for a long time. The word anguish is a close synonym. Agony can be physical or emotional. A person who has just broken their leg and a person who has just experienced the death of a loved one could both be said to be in agony—in a state of extreme pain or suffering. However, agony is perhaps more commonly used in the context of emotional pain (in which case it often likens such suffering to intense physical pain). The verb agonize can mean to be in agony, but it most commonly means to put forth a great effort—to struggle or strive, as in She’s been agonizing about what to get you for your birthday. The adjective agonizing means filled with or resulting in agony, as in agonizing pain. Agony also has a few other meanings that are much less common. It can mean an outburst of intense emotional excitement, even a positive one, as in an agony of joy. It can also mean an intense or violent struggle, as in He was in an agony of indecision. More specifically, it can refer to the struggle or suffering that precedes death. Example: I hope you’ll never have to experience the sheer agony of losing a child.
Synonym Usage
See pain.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of agony
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English agonye (from Anglo-French ), from Late Latin agōnia, from Greek, equivalent to agṓn “struggle” + -ia noun suffix: see agon, -y 3
Explanation
The noun agony means acute pain — either mental or physical, but people often use the word hyperbolically: "This paper cut is agony." The noun agony is also used in the common phrase "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat," which has been the tag-line of ABC's Wide World of Sports for decades. The catchphrase, in turn, is often rendered as a pun: "He fell of the ladder and broke his foot. He writhed in agony from the pain, but the physical pain, was nothing compared to his mental agony when the doctor setting the bone joked, 'Now you know the agony of de feet!'"
Vocabulary lists containing agony
Hatchet
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Boy: Tales of Childhood
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"Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad," Vocabulary from the biography
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Marking six months since her mother’s disappearance, Savannah Guthrie shared an emotional public appeal, calling the anniversary “an agony beyond words” and urging anyone with information to help investigators.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
Plus, more agony for England, readers weigh in on the greatest sports rivalries and Jason Gay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
"Living like this is agony," said Meyboll Font, a 51-year-old self-employed social media community manager.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
Her pain was so bad at one point in her late teens that doctors took out her perfectly healthy appendix, believing it was the source of her agony.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
He was in clear agony, tearing off the bedsheets and trying to slide his feet to the floor.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
But tragedy, an exploration of human misery, dates back to the Greeks and expresses agonies as old as our species.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
“It’s this tight knot of agonies, and humiliations, and social problems, and this is experienced by millions of us in the richest country in the history of the world.”
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2025
Almost as if they were, briefly, spectators watching the agonies of two strangers.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2024
Everest included sleeping at home with their heads in hypoxic tents meant to mimic the agonies of extreme altitude, reached the world’s highest summit on Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2024
What agonies this woman endured, Marie-Laure cannot guess.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
