agonize
Americanverb (used without object)
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agonizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
agonized,
past participle, past
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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
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have been agonizingperfect progressive
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has been agonizingperfect progressive
Past
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agonizedsimple
-
had agonizedperfect
-
was agonizingprogressive
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were agonizingprogressive
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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
“We don’t agonize, we organize, and this day, today, we have scores of events across the country, starting in New York,” Pelosi echoed hours later.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 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
But the Permian drive sputtered and it was time for Wyles to agonize his way through another field goal, this one from the 30 instead of the 31.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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
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
When semaglutide agonizes these receptors, it tells the body to make more insulin.
From Salon ● Nov. 12, 2022
While he agonizes over song choice, I watch the K-pop videos playing on the television.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
Faisuris Alvarez, who runs a beachside fish stand, agonized aloud over these questions without answers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
What if the destruction of your planet left you with a permanent case of agonized alienation, and you became a weird, antisocial loner who hung out in bars drinking alone?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 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
That triggered another fraught process as board members agonized over the structure of a deal that would reward rank-and-file shareholders — not just the Redstones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025
The letter says: My dearest Caroline, I’ve agonized over the way I left you, but I couldn’t bear the thought of saying good-bye.
From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender
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
Earlier in the week, there was the agonizing sight of Jack Draper, the former Top-10 British wunderkind, tearing up mid-match as he continues to be hobbled by arm pain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Pessina and her siblings began an agonizing search.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
In his third season with the Dodgers, rising star Andy Pages navigates the agonizing reality of being separated from his parents and sister as U.S.-Cuba relations face new flashpoints.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
The work at home was exhausting, and for Anthony taking a break from her reform work was agonizing.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
