agony

noun

ˈa-gə-nē How to pronounce agony (audio)
Definition of agonynext
1
as in nightmare
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness waiting all those hours to hear if he'd survived the plane crash was pure agony

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind the agony of never knowing what happened to her son

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in explosion
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling the announcement that the war was over unleashed a mass agony of joy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun agony differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of agony are distress, misery, and suffering. While all these words mean "the state of being in great trouble," agony suggests pain too intense to be borne.

in agony over the death of their child

Where would distress be a reasonable alternative to agony?

The words distress and agony are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, distress implies an external and usually temporary cause of great physical or mental strain and stress.

the hurricane put everyone in great distress

When is it sensible to use misery instead of agony?

The meanings of misery and agony largely overlap; however, misery stresses the unhappiness attending especially sickness, poverty, or loss.

the homeless live with misery every day

When is suffering a more appropriate choice than agony?

In some situations, the words suffering and agony are roughly equivalent. However, suffering implies conscious endurance of pain or distress.

the suffering of famine victims

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of agony Ukraine’s agony, with its echoes of Hitlerian aggression, calls into question the deepest convictions of those of us who are convinced there must be a more robust way to constrain, or at least disincentivize, the Putins of this world. — Winslow Myers, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025 When the occupiers are closing in on the man, Tregenza films a resulting act of violence with a furious restraint that highlights the moral agony of an exalted but dangerous commitment—of the tragedy of contradictory vows. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2025 Challenges of rebuilding Victims who lost homes will be faced with the decision whether to rebuild — which can be agony. — Tony Saavedra, Orange County Register, 24 Feb. 2025 Then, Cara’s killshot was followed by her screams of agony at her dire circumstances. — Hunter Ingram, Variety, 23 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for agony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agony
  1. nightmare
  2. distress
  3. explosion
  4. misery
  5. anguish
  6. burst
  7. torture
  8. pain
Noun
  • For Prince’s team, the damning press was a waking nightmare.
    — Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
  • As a quiet panic becomes obvious in Ryan’s eyes, the happy return begins to feel like a nightmare.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of nightmare
Noun
  • While local authorities have since said the incident spawned from a physical altercation between two attendees, and that firearms were not involved, the resulting melee left at least 10 people with non-life-threatening injuries and numerous claiming emotion distress.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Garcia’s damages included physical pain, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation, inconvenience, grief, disfigurement, physical impairment, anxiety and emotional distress, according to a recording of the verdict from Courtroom View Network.
    — Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of distress
Noun
  • In addition to Tesla’s troubles, Musk’s social network X experienced several outages throughout the day on Monday, and his aerospace and defense company SpaceX is investigating two explosions in a row that occurred during test flights of its massive Starship rocket.
    — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Crew abandoned the vessel following multiple explosions onboard but all are safe and accounted for.
    — William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of explosion
Noun
  • That system, Fritz Alphonse Jean said, has fueled immense misery and social inequalities as well as the current gang violence that has a desperate population urgently calling for help.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Indian spiritual leader and environmental campaigner Sadhguru has spoken to Newsweek about the nation's mental health, offering his secret to achieving a good state of mind by choosing joy or misery.
    — Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Mar. 2025
Definition of misery
Noun
  • The first Trump Administration didn’t deliver many material gains to the rural poor—deaths of despair continued to rise, and wages continued to stagnate—but at least Trump spoke to their anguish and seemed outraged on their behalf.
    — Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Garcia’s damages included physical pain, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation, inconvenience, grief, disfigurement, physical impairment, anxiety and emotional distress, according to a recording of the verdict from Courtroom View Network.
    — Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of anguish
Noun
  • Instead of using stress as a momentary burst of energy to handle a challenge, your nervous system stays trapped in a hypervigilant state, constantly preparing for the next emotional shift.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
  • The second half opened with another Cathedral scoring burst, extending the lead in the first minute-and-a-half of the third to 18 following a three by Allen-Paisley.
    — Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of burst
Noun
  • Cameras didn’t document the torture of trade unionists and others in Paraguay.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2025
  • The tests were believed to be part of a super-secret experimentation program, Project MKUltra, which ran from 1953 to 1973 (when the program’s records were destroyed) to identify drugs that could weaken individuals and force confessions through brainwashing and psychological torture.
    — Jake Kring-Schreifels, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of torture
Noun
  • Symptoms are akin to getting the flu: body aches, fever, abdominal pain.
    — Rick Jervis, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2025
  • But the Heat remains without Alec Burks (lower back pain), Josh Christopher (G League), Nikola Jovic (broken right hand) and Dru Smith (left Achilles surgery) against the Bulls.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2025
Definition of pain

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“Agony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agony. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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