How to Use agonize in a Sentence

agonize

verb
  • Cristobal agonized for days about what to do.
    — CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
  • Others gave birth to unloved babies; some agonized over whether to give them away.
    — Washington Post, 5 July 2018
  • This is nail-biting stuff, agonizing to sit through.
    — Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Gone are the endless hours spent agonizing over court dates and a lost fortune.
    — Brian Burnsed, SI.com, 28 June 2017
  • Stop wasting time agonizing over what to wear the rest of summer.
    — Averi Baudler, Peoplemag, 4 Aug. 2024
  • Many agonize over that, march with us on other days, send statements of support.
    — Vulture, 1 June 2023
  • When the gates went down, and the bridge opened for a boater, the time needed to get to the ocean went on an agonizing hold.
    — Jacques Kelly, baltimoresun.com, 2 Aug. 2019
  • The parents who keep looking for him, agonizing over his health.
    — Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Mar. 2026
  • What’s great is that players can switch professions at any time, so there’s no need to agonize over the choice.
    — Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 20 June 2019
  • The case lasted for weeks, and the wait for my call to testify was agonizing.
    — Jennifer Gilbert, Marie Claire, 30 Apr. 2012
  • The leadership team and board struggled over it and agonized.
    — Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 3 Nov. 2019
  • The board agonized over whether to raise tuition, drop high school or apply for a public charter.
    — Ann Doss Helms, charlotteobserver, 31 Jan. 2018
  • Some parents on flights agonize over the idea of their young child causing midair disruption.
    — Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
  • But even the best word smiths among us can agonize over what to write in their mom's Mother's Day card?
    — Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 28 Mar. 2021
  • For the families of the detained, the last few months have been agonizing.
    — Anh Do, latimes.com, 25 Jan. 2018
  • But there's no reason to agonize over the value of your redemption.
    — Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 13 July 2023
  • During a race, the garage is a place to stress, agonize, listen, hope, worry, and silently pray.
    — Corey Seymour, Vogue, 20 Nov. 2023
  • The top three wings are similar and not having to agonize over that decision would be nice.
    — Chris Fedor, cleveland, 30 Aug. 2020
  • The decision to turn pro as a one-and-done was agonizing at first for the Duke freshman.
    — Tim Bannon, chicagotribune.com, 22 June 2018
  • That’s not worth agonizing over anymore.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 8 June 2026
  • People often agonize over how to ask for a raise at work, trying to determine when to speak up and how to make their case.
    — Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 12 May 2026
  • On that day, Mauser recalls getting the news of his son's death in agonizing bits and pieces.
    — Scott McLean and Rachel Clarke, CNN, 23 Mar. 2018
  • Well, for years, critics and fans have agonized over the ending, some hoping for the show to return and explain a few things.
    — Matt Miller, Esquire, 8 Mar. 2018
  • Agreeing to the sale was agonizing to the sisters but seemed necessary.
    — Rebekah Sanders, azcentral, 20 June 2019
  • This book will agonize with its intimate accounts of death by government.
    — Literary Hub, 16 July 2024
  • It’s been a process for York, 21, to learn how to not agonize over every single mistake.
    — Ashley Bastock, cleveland, 13 Sep. 2022
  • We should be agonized by the bird deaths, and of course even more so by the massacre of humans in Israel and in Gaza.
    — Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 18 Oct. 2023
  • The team agonized over the shoot and post-production, intent on making a pilot that was ready to air, not just a proof of concept.
    — Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2025
  • Jacob Copeland, one of the best high school wide receivers in the country, agonized about his decision.
    — Britni Danielle, Essence.com, 8 Feb. 2018
  • To your point, agonizing about everything isn’t doing me any favors.
    — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 19 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'agonize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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