agonal

American  

[ag-uh-nl] / ˈæg ə nl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or symptomatic of agony, especially paroxysmal distress, as the death throes.

---

Etymology

Origin of agonal

First recorded in 1600–10; agon(y) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

The snoring was likely agonal breathing, a common sign of cardiac arrest, explained Dr. Michael Freeman, a forensic epidemiologist who testified in the George Floyd case.

From Seattle Times • May 13, 2022

Was this really less agonal than a natural death, which would have come mercifully weeks earlier?

From Time Magazine Archive

This," says Dr. Zukoski, "is an agonal type of death.

From Time Magazine Archive

As the first nun at Ngaliema Hospital, Sister M. E., lay dying, her doctors had decided to give her a so-called agonal biopsy.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

We tell ourselves how glad we are it happened as it did, instead of an agonal ending such as many of his people come to.

From Modern Essays by Ayres, Harry Morgan