AGONIZED Synonyms: 256 Similar and Opposite Words

agonized 1 of 2

adjective

ˈa-gə-ˌnīzd

Definition of agonized

as in weeping

expressing or suggesting mourning one look at his agonized, tearful eyes and it was clear that something was terribly wrong

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

agonized

2 of 2

verb

past tense of agonize

as in plagued

to cause persistent suffering to got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in grieved

to feel deep sadness or mental pain agonized for days over whether she'd done the right thing

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 agonized

Adjective

Her endless screams and sobs echo back to the agonized wailing of The Mist’s David Drayton, who murdered his child and friends for nothing. — Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026 An agonized woman, writhing and coughing and gnarled by disease, is found in a field on the edge of town. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026

Verb

Some 36,000 fans at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, and many more tuning in on radio and television, agonized through one of the Fall Classic’s wildest and most emotional conclusions. — Hillel Italie, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026 Cristobal agonized for days about what to do. — CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for agonized

Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonized

Adjective

And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.

— David Mamet, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.

— Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2021

Definition of weeping

Verb

But he was plagued by guilt over his ancestor’s role in the trials, and felt compelled to explore themes of human character, greed, and social decay through his work.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Joan realizes that her mother’s vanishing meshes with a larger tapestry of tragedy that has plagued their family over the years.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of plagued

Verb

Several fans grieved the restaurant’s closing on its social pages.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026
Jake Reiner sat for an interview with ABC7 Los Angeles on Thursday, delving into how his surviving family has grieved during the past several months since his parents’ deaths.

— Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of grieved

Adjective

The One About Matthew Perry, a three-part docuseries, out October 27 on Netflix, is more of a celebration of celebrate Perry’s life instead of a mournful tribute or true crime drama about his death and the headline-making trial that followed.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2026
East Suffolk, a windblown span of marshy coastland, has a reputation for stark, mournful beauty, and for drawing creative people with a taste for isolation and escape.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of mournful

Verb

Those governments provide assurances that people won’t be persecuted or tortured, federal attorneys said.

— Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Also, some immigration cases involve people seeking asylum because they are being persecuted by a foreign government and releasing a person’s full name could be considered sensitive or even dangerous.

— Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of persecuted

Verb

Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Riley Green, and more mourned Anderson, and honored the Country Music Hall of Fame member’s generational talent.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
Dustin Hada, the head coach of Southern Nazarene’s football program, also mourned the loss of his player on social media.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of mourned

Adjective

The woman never brought Melissa back, leaving a heartbroken Apantenco wondering what had become of her baby.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
Mike Sweeney’s tutor Royals Hall of Famer Mike Sweeney was heartbroken to learn of Benzinger’s passing.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of heartbroken

Verb

Love contains the seeds of its own destruction—the cruelty and self-absorption that turns the afflicted against one another, and themselves.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
While the epicenter was located in Nantou County in central Taiwan, serious damage afflicted residents across the island as roads buckled, bridges collapsed and landslides destroyed everything in their path.

— Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of afflicted

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“Agonized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonized. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of agonized

adjective

verb

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