agonize
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to suffer extreme pain or anguish; be in agony.
-
to put forth great effort of any kind.
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to suffer or cause to suffer agony
-
(intr) to make a desperate effort; struggle; strive
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
agonizesimple
-
agonizessimple
-
have agonizedperfect
-
has agonizedperfect
-
am agonizingprogressive
-
are agonizingprogressive
-
is agonizingprogressive
-
have been agonizingperfect progressive
-
has been agonizingperfect progressive
Past
-
agonizedsimple
-
had agonizedperfect
-
was agonizingprogressive
-
were agonizingprogressive
-
had been agonizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of agonize
1575–85; < Medieval Latin agōnizāre < Greek agōnízesthai to struggle (for a prize), equivalent to agōn- agon + -izesthai -ize
Explanation
When you worry excessively about something, you agonize about it. The mother of a teenage boy might agonize over his safety when he first learns to drive. Agonize can mean to suffer true pain, but it's generally a mental type of anguish. A student might agonize over what to wear the first day of school, and a boss might agonize about how to break the bad news about layoffs to her employees. The earliest meaning of agonize was "to torture," though now it means something closer to "to torture one's self." The Greek root is a grand one: agonizesthai, "to contend in the struggle."
Vocabulary lists containing agonize
The Diary of Anne Frank
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
An American Plague
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
This way, we wouldn’t have to agonize over every ride and could even hop aboard to cross the Grand Canal without having to walk to the nearest bridge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Refusing even a hint of introspection, she added: “We don’t agonize over what happened. We organize about what comes next.”
From Slate ● Nov. 15, 2024
We don’t know enough about him to agonize with him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2024
When they wed, their fans swoon; when stars divorce, people agonize over what went wrong.
From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2024
I realize that for every good message, there will always be one that will agonize me.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
In 1415, on the eve of challenging France at the Battle of Agincourt, he agonizes about the moral burdens of kingship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
Miyazaki agonizes over the character of the Great Uncle who has built the fantastical world of the tower in “The Boy and The Heron.”
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2024
She agonizes over the loss of her relationship with Mimi, perhaps the love of her life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
Months later, she still fights feeling of resentment mixed with worry and agonizes over her belief that her return to work had left her mother more vulnerable to Covid.
From New York Times ● May 14, 2022
Additional copies have been filed elsewhere for posterity and safekeeping, as the desk copies often meet such gruesome fates while Chandresh agonizes over every word.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Faisuris Alvarez, who runs a beachside fish stand, agonized aloud over these questions without answers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
So for the new owner of a franchise that agonized for nearly 40 years before its first Super Bowl and another 12 until its second, the wait for a third championship could be considerably shorter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
Unlike Steve, I haven’t agonized much about my bygone career or felt much of a vacuum where it once was.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
Only much later did I find out what agonized him, when I approached his booth and asked if he was taking requests.
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2025
Making decisions was the painful part for me, the part I agonized over.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
They had already waited four agonizing days for Venezuela’s bureaucracy to approve permits for them to enter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Pessina and her siblings began an agonizing search.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Once she learned this, he added, finalizing her return wasn’t as agonizing.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026
Massey waited several agonizing minutes while the distance was measured, but when the mark flashed on the scoreboard, she leaped in the air and screamed “Let’s go! Three more!”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
In this agonizing fashion I climbed toward a cluster of tents reputed to be perched somewhere on the sheer face above, progressing in increments calibrated in inches.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
