agonizing
[ ag-uh-nahy-zing ]
/ ˈæg əˌnaɪ zɪŋ /
adjective
accompanied by, filled with, or resulting in agony or distress: We spent an agonizing hour waiting to hear if the accident had been serious or not.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
agonic line, agonist, agonistic, agonize, agonized, agonizing, agony, agony aunt, agony column, agony uncle, agora
Related formsag·o·niz·ing·ly, adverb
Definition for agonizing (2 of 2)
agonize
[ ag-uh-nahyz ]
/ ˈæg əˌnaɪz /
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for agonizing
British Dictionary definitions for agonizing
agonize
agonise
/ (ˈæɡəˌnaɪz) /
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
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Word Origin and History for agonizing
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper