agony

American  

[ag-uh-nee] / ˈæg ə ni /

noun

• agonies
  plural

1. 

   extreme and generally prolonged pain; intense physical or mental suffering.

   Synonyms:

   torture, torment, anguish

   Antonyms:

   pleasure, ease, comfort

2. a display or outburst of intense mental or emotional excitement.

   an agony of joy.

   Synonyms:

   paroxysm

3. the struggle preceding natural death.

   mortal agony.

4. a violent struggle.

5. Theology. Often Agony the sufferings of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane.

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agony British  

/ ˈæɡənɪ /

noun

1. acute physical or mental pain; anguish

2. the suffering or struggle preceding death

3. informal to exaggerate one's distress for sympathy or greater effect

4. (modifier) relating to or advising on personal problems about which people have written to the media

   agony column

   agony writer

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Usage

What does agony mean? 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.

Synonym Usage

See pain.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• agonies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of agony

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English agonye (from Anglo-French ), from Late Latin agōnia, from Greek, equivalent to agṓn “struggle” + -ia noun suffix: see agon, -y ³

Explanation

The noun agony means acute pain — either mental or physical, but people often use the word hyperbolically: "This paper cut is agony." The noun agony is also used in the common phrase "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat," which has been the tag-line of ABC's Wide World of Sports for decades. The catchphrase, in turn, is often rendered as a pun: "He fell of the ladder and broke his foot. He writhed in agony from the pain, but the physical pain, was nothing compared to his mental agony when the doctor setting the bone joked, 'Now you know the agony of de feet!'"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

agony agonies

Lingard described Bailey as an "agony aunt" for the town, someone who "listened to everyone's problems" but rarely took time away from the shop.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

"I was scared to go to sleep and was in constant agony."

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

The headlines have been unrelieved agony for Mr. Bonta.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Thanks to an ancestor who wished to never feel the agony of love again, any man the Owens women fall in love with ends up dead.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

In an agony of waiting, Taran still delayed.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

He’s more popular than ever, and those prior agonies helped.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

“It’s this tight knot of agonies, and humiliations, and social problems, and this is experienced by millions of us in the richest country in the history of the world.”

From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2025

As in Park’s Pynchon-style satire and Angie Kim’s affecting “Happiness Falls,” “Flashlight” explores the collective experiences of Korean Americans, agonies closeted away, the rage that screams inside.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2025

Almost as if they were, briefly, spectators watching the agonies of two strangers.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2024

Goodness knows how many tens of thousands of people suffered unnecessary agonies under the surgeon’s knife because no one thought of the gas’s most obvious practical application.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• anguish
• misery
• passion
• torment
• torture
• woe