agonize

especially British, ag·o·nise

[ag-uh-nahyz]

verb (used without object)

agonized, agonizing 

1. to suffer extreme pain or anguish; be in agony.

2. to put forth great effort of any kind.

verb (used with object)

agonized, agonizing 

1. to distress with extreme pain; torture.

agonize

/ ˈæɡəˌnaɪz /

verb

1. to suffer or cause to suffer agony

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

Other Word Forms

• agonizingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of agonize¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of agonize¹

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

Example Sentences

For several agonizing minutes, they sit together saying nothing, as Black Sabbath’s mystical ballad “Solitude” plays softly on the stereo.

From Los Angeles Times

"Adenomyosis and endometriosis are different diseases, but there are similarities – people can present with heavy periods, agonizing pain often with periods but it can be throughout the menstrual cycle."

From BBC

He agonized over the couple’s son, who had just witnessed his mother’s violent death, and vowed not to cheat the law with “subterfuge.”

From Los Angeles Times

Each week TikTok videos, podcasts and fan reactions on social media predict and agonize over who the young heroine, now finishing college abroad, will choose.

From Los Angeles Times

But writing it, reconciling with his past, would prove pretty agonizing in its own right.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• disturb 
• excruciate 
• harrow 
• lament