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

Inflected Forms

noun

• 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

Agony somehow became something to chuckle about even when Gadsby gruesomely described the extent of her injury.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2022

Dolly also holds a position as a modern-day Agony Aunt for the Sunday Times Magazine.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2022

Agony is at the root of comedy, and for Mr. Simon it was the agony of an unhappy Depression-era childhood that inspired much of his finest work.

From New York Times • Aug. 26, 2018

Agony is the price of the human experience.

From Salon • Jun. 30, 2018

When they arrived in the town called Agony, Luna ran ahead to the widow woman’s house, just at the border.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

Related Words

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