agonize
Americanverb (used without object)
-
agonizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
agonized,
past participle, past
-
agonizing
present participle
-
to suffer extreme pain or anguish; be in agony.
-
to put forth great effort of any kind.
verb (used with object)
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agonizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
agonized,
past participle, past
-
agonizing
present participle
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
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agonizesimple
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agonizessimple
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have agonizedperfect
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has agonizedperfect
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am agonizingprogressive
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are agonizingprogressive
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is agonizingprogressive
-
have been agonizingperfect progressive
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has been agonizingperfect progressive
Past
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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
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Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
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An American Plague
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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:
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
Oh, the visitors will agonize over some of the bizarre calls, some deserving of further explanation from the NFL.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2025
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
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
Admittedly, he agonizes over defeat more than he celebrates victory.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 19, 2024
She agonizes over the loss of her relationship with Mimi, perhaps the love of her life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
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
Then the singers froze in place, the lighting changed, and the screaming orchestra and Ms. Loera’s projections of Blanche’s agonized face told the rest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
I’m agonized by the thought that she might have sought help before she died.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 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
Ten times in the ensuing week, he cried, “Robbie stays,—and that’s final!” and each time it was weaker and accompanied by a louder and more agonized groan.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
Eisenhower’s agonizing responsibilities required him to make many critical decisions: Launch D-Day on June 6, 1944?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
The adults as much as the teenagers find themselves beset by doubts about their futures, haunted by the ghosts of their pasts, or agonizing over the thorny matter of God’s presence or absence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 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
It was so agonizing, I thought, seriously, that my heart would stop.
From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen
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.
