agonize

[ag-uh-nahyz]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR agonize ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), ag·o·nized, ag·o·niz·ing.

to suffer extreme pain or anguish; be in agony.

to put forth great effort of any kind.

verb (used with object), ag·o·nized, ag·o·niz·ing.

to distress with extreme pain; torture.

Also especially British, ag·o·nise.

Origin of agonize

1575–85; < Medieval Latin agōnizāre < Greek agōnízesthai to struggle (for a prize), equivalent to agōn- agon + -izesthai -ize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for agonize

disturb, lament, harrow, excruciate, crucify, bleed, squirm, pain, afflict, torture, writhe, hurt, try, strain, torment, struggle, wince, labor, strive, martyr

Examples from the Web for agonize

Contemporary Examples of agonize

The key is how much we can brood, and what is meant by brooding—is it to daydream, or is it to agonize over every detail?
‘True Detective,’ Obsessive-Compulsive Noir, and ‘Twin Peaks’
Jimmy So
March 14, 2014
The revenge factor would have been an added bonus, but really, what I wanted was for people to agonize over why I'd done it.
I Was Adam Lanza, Part 3
David Frum
December 23, 2012
Parents stood up to agonize about their responsibility, as cosigners, for the loans of their now unemployed offspring.
NYU Professor: Are Student Loans Immoral?
Andrew Ross
September 27, 2012

Historical Examples of agonize

I might agonize in words for a day and I should not express the delight.
Wilfrid Cumbermede
George MacDonald
May we know a little better what it is to agonize in prayer.
The Assembly of God
C. (Charles) H. (Henry) Mackintosh
And this seething life, the turmoil and the noises of the city, agonize me.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist
Alexander Berkman
Some must agonize and spend their strength unavailingly, like birds beating their wings against the bars of a cage for freedom.
The Shadow of the East
E. M. Hull
Never again shall he agonize in Gethsemane, and sweat great drops of blood.
Sermons of Christmas Evans
Joseph Cross

British Dictionary definitions for agonize

agonize

agonise

verb

to suffer or cause to suffer agony

(intr) to make a desperate effort; struggle; strive

Derived Formsagonizingly or agonisingly, adverb

Word Origin for agonize

C16: via Medieval Latin from Greek agōnizesthai to contend for a prize, from agōn agon

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for agonize

1580s, "to torture," from Middle French agoniser or directly from Medieval Latin agonizare, from Greek agonizesthai "to contend in the struggle" (see agony). Intransitive sense of "to suffer physical pain" is recorded from 1660s. That of "to worry intensely" is from 1853. Related: Agonized; agonizing.