agonizing

[ ag-uh-nahy-zing ]

/ ˈæg əˌnaɪ zɪŋ /

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See synonyms for: agonizing / agonizingly on Thesaurus.com

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.

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Origin of agonizing

First recorded in 1660–70; agonize + -ing²

ag·o·niz·ing·ly, adverb

During an agonizing period defined by mortality, as the coronavirus pandemic stealthily takes out thousands every day worldwide, the greatest sources of escape from sports have been these inspirational displays of athletic persistence.
As Serena Williams nears the end, her greatness plays on in Naomi Osaka|Jerry Brewer|February 18, 2021|Washington Post
We are really in the final miles of an agonizing marathon here—the home stretch.
What you can do right now to protect yourself from the new COVID-19 variants|Claire Maldarelli|January 29, 2021|Popular-Science
Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon depicts the agonizing time spent inside the bank, during which Wojtowicz agonized over his actions and unexpectedly bonded with some of his captives.
The 10 Best Movies Based on a True Story|TIME Staff|November 19, 2020|Time
When patrons act recklessly, bartenders are thrust into agonizing situations, since a confrontation runs the risk of angering the very people responsible for giving them most of their earnings.
As Texas and Florida Bars Close Down, Bartenders Fear the Worst|Andrew R. Chow|June 26, 2020|Time

The latest opinion polls suggest it will be agonizingly close.
Scots Must Choose Heart or Head|Nico Hines|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Heartsick, depressed, agonizingly lonely, she would disappear for days behind her locked bedroom doors.
New Questions Arise About Mary Richardson Kennedy’s Suicide|Nancy Collins|May 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A muffled sound, faint, but agonizingly definite—a woman's sobs!
The Secret Witness|George Gibbs
An agonizingly long time later the faint and disregarded sound of the plane swept back across the heavens.
Operation Terror|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
Were the features against which that frail bit of cambric was agonizingly pressed of a pleasing contour?
Seven Keys to Baldpate|Earl Derr Biggers
On the reviewing stand the dignified hands went up, agonizingly slow, to a final salute and they stayed there.
Martian V.F.W.|G.L. Vandenburg
He knew by her voice she was ill, and his palpitating heart was wrung so agonizingly that he was constantly in tears.
Rose O'Paradise|Grace Miller White