1
as in to persecute
to cause persistent suffering to
got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grieve
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
agonized for days over whether she'd done the right thing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agonize
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
With two more days left in the Disney trip, Dreyer faced a decision plenty of parents have agonized over — cut the vacation short or push through?
—
Ryan Brennan,
Sacbee.com,
13 Apr. 2026
Her ex-husband, a good father, refuses to move the boy to the town and Eden agonizes about taking the boy from his friends and school in the Twin Cities.
—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
Not every meeting summary or line of code needs to be agonized over, farewell to arms-style.
—
Aytekin Tank,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for agonize
Jennifer Liu,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
With two more days left in the Disney trip, Dreyer faced a decision plenty of parents have agonized over — cut the vacation short or push through?
—
Ryan Brennan,
Sacbee.com,
13 Apr. 2026
Her ex-husband, a good father, refuses to move the boy to the town and Eden agonizes about taking the boy from his friends and school in the Twin Cities.
—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
Not every meeting summary or line of code needs to be agonized over, farewell to arms-style.
—
Aytekin Tank,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for agonize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonize
Verb
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The Washington Principles also recognize that many sales of artwork by Jews during the Nazi era occurred while they were being persecuted, or under duress.
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Representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine have been persecuted.
Verb
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Sixty years later, young Alma Singer begins searching for the writer of her mother’s favorite book, hoping to bring romance to her grieving parent.
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The movie follows Gugino as a grieving woman who takes in her troubled nephew, but their lives are upended when an otherworldly entity begins hunting him.
Verb
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Andrew Harnik | Getty Images A rocky start The anniversary rollout has also been plagued by problems on the ground.
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In the 30 years following the tune’s release, disappointment has only continued to plague the Three Lions.
Verb
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On Sunday, tens of thousands of men and women gathered in separate sections to mourn Khamenei’s death.
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Readers mourned Bill Spoon’s BBQ, which fed generations before shutting during the pandemic in 2020, and Bubba’s Barbecue on Sunset Road, which closed in January 2026 after 40 years of Eastern North Carolina-style ‘cue.
Verb
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Jude, meanwhile, was shifting from tossing cones to tugging at his ears, afflicted with the same malady that had landed several of the toddlers on the room’s version of the injury list.
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Advertisement Mission hijacking in the nonprofit space A similar overcrowding afflicts the pro-democracy space today.
Verb
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Symptoms resemble other types of pneumonia and can include fever, chills, muscle aches, and cough.
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Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome causes fatigue, fever, muscle aches, abdominal problems, headaches, chills and dizziness in the early stages, and late symptoms include chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath and lungs filling with fluid.
Verb
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What unfolds is a unique horror story that is unbelievably entertaining, psychologically torturing and incredibly fun.
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The brutal nature of her murder—she was believed to have been tortured, and her body was cut in half and provocatively posed—helped spark a media frenzy.
Verb
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Watching the hearing via Zoom from a prison holding room, Powell wiped his eyes and sighed heavily as Cribbs once again recited the facts of the case before Judge Rachelle Carnesale, explaining when Walton was fatally shot.
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Pino’s supporters sighed and sniffled when the verdict was announced.
Cite this Entry
“Agonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonize. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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