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• agog
  agog

  adjective

  highly excited by eagerness, curiosity, anticipation, etc.
• -agog
  -agog

  variant of -agogue.

agog

¹ American  

[uh-gog] / əˈgɒg /

adjective

1. highly excited by eagerness, curiosity, anticipation, etc.

   Synonyms:

   enthralled, awestruck

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adverb

1. in a state of eager desire; excitedly.

-agog ² American  

1. variant of -agogue.

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agog British  

/ əˈɡɒɡ /

adjective

1. (postpositive) highly impatient, eager, or curious

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Usage

What does -agog mean? The combining form -agog is used like a suffix meaning “leader” or "bringer." In medical terms, it is used to name substances that cause the flow or the release of a substance. It is occasionally used in scientific and technical terms. The form -agog comes from Greek -agōgos, meaning “leading.” The Latin cognate of this form is agēns, “doing” or “driving,” which is the source of words such as agent and agency. To learn more, check out our entries for both words. The form -agog is a less-common variant of -agogue. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for -agogue.

Etymology

Origin of agog

First recorded in 1535–45; variant of on gog (in phrase set on gog “rouse, stir up”), from Middle French en gogues; see à gogo

Explanation

The word agog means with great excitement and interest. When you’re falling over yourself with excitement and curiosity to see who’s coming up the red carpet next, you’re agog about celebrities. At Christmas time, you are probably agog to see what's in all the beautifully wrapped boxes. An easy way to remember what agog means is to think of it as goggle-eyed, which it sounds a bit like. When you’re agog, you’re goggle-eyed with excitement about something, whatever that happens to be. In truth, the word has nothing to do with goggle-eyes, but instead relates to the Middle French word en gogues which means "full of mirth, good humor, and joyfulness."

Example Sentences

For all the staging prowess, the final battle scene leaves one more agog on screen.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

An interlacing of memoir and anecdote, it begins with the author as a young boy, growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., left agog by the Bronx Zoo’s immersive Amazon exhibit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

The legal world is agog with excitement about what AI is doing to the law.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2024

Its reappearance a couple of weeks ago was so unexpected that the fountain pen community, which makes up a small but passionate corner of the office supplies market, was agog.

From New York Times • Mar. 1, 2024

Nancy and her protegee, Jolene Katz, were also satisfied with their morning’s work; indeed, the latter, a thin thirteen-year-old, was agog with pride.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote