agony

Agony is extreme pain or suffering, especially the kind that lasts for a long time. The word anguish is a close synonym.

Agony can be physical or emotional. A person who has just broken their leg and a person who has just experienced the death of a loved one could both be said to be in agony—in a state of extreme pain or suffering.

However, agony is perhaps more commonly used in the context of emotional pain (in which case it often likens such suffering to intense physical pain).

The verb agonize can mean to be in agony, but it most commonly means to put forth a great effort—to struggle or strive, as in She’s been agonizing about what to get you for your birthday.

The adjective agonizing means filled with or resulting in agony, as in agonizing pain.  

Agony also has a few other meanings that are much less common. It can mean an outburst of intense emotional excitement, even a positive one, as in an agony of joy. It can also mean an intense or violent struggle, as in He was in an agony of indecision. More specifically, it can refer to the struggle or suffering that precedes death.

Example: I hope you’ll never have to experience the sheer agony of losing a child.

The first records of the word agony come from the 1300s. It comes from the Greek agōnia, meaning “struggle,” from agōn, “contest.”

Agony appears in the expression “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” which was used in the introduction of the long-running TV show titled Wide World of Sports. The phrase is typically used to contrast the range of intense emotions that can result from a competition that has winners and losers, such as a championship game or an election, with losing sometimes causing agony. Similarly, agony is sometimes contrasted with its extreme opposite, ecstasy—extreme pleasure or joy.

What are some other forms related to agony?

• agonizing (adjective)
• agonize (verb)

What are some synonyms for agony?

• anguish
• misery
• suffering
• torment

What are some words that share a root or word element with agony? 

• antagonize
• antagonist

What are some words that often get used in discussing agony?

• pain
• suffer
• death
• defeat
• ecstasy
• scream

Agony can refer to physical pain, but perhaps most commonly refers to emotional pain.

#21: I have broken my right leg twice: once at age 2 falling out a 2nd story window; again at 6 when hit by a car (femur). Level 11 agony.

— Ursus Draconosaur (@Thrashbear) July 10, 2011

Someone told me yesterday that the absolute refusal to ask for help even when you’re in agony is rooted in trauma and we have been conditioned to look at it as strength. My brain is still processing this.

— Nikita Gill (@nktgill) October 19, 2020

Ghosting is for cowards.

In relationships and in business.

Have the difficult conversation.

Allow yourself to be uncomfortable for a few minutes and spare someone else the agony of wondering where they went wrong.

— Natasha Link (@NatashaLink1) October 24, 2020

Is agony used correctly in the following sentence? 

The ecstasy of having won the election was soon replaced by the agony of realizing that the results were not correct.