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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agony
Yet Mitch cannot overcome his childhood agonies or mature with his peers or his country.
—
Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2025
Its noise, boys screaming, could pass as typical roughhousing or as agony.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025
According to the outlet, the agony caused Cornett to remove her name outside her dorm room, temporarily relocate to emergency housing, switch to online classes and continue to spend most of her time in her room.
—David Chiu, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
With espresso especially, the right grinder can be the difference between ecstasy, agony, and simple defeat.
—Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2025
Its noise, boys screaming, could pass as typical roughhousing or as agony.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025
According to the outlet, the agony caused Cornett to remove her name outside her dorm room, temporarily relocate to emergency housing, switch to online classes and continue to spend most of her time in her room.
—David Chiu, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
With espresso especially, the right grinder can be the difference between ecstasy, agony, and simple defeat.
—Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agony
Noun
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After blowing a 17-point lead in Saturday’s home loss to the Chicago Bulls, the Heat ran into the same nightmare on Monday.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2025
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Several audience members audibly whispered and even left the theater throughout the film’s abstract nightmare sequences and bloody plot twists.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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At the Santa Monica test location after the rains, the level of beryllium — a metal that is toxic to fish and corals and causes respiratory distress in humans — was more than 10 times the maximum limit allowed.—
Corinne Purtill,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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The result: Some doctors and hospitals have held back on treatments, waiting for the fetal heartbeat to stop or for patients to wind up in undeniable distress.—
Kavitha Surana,
ProPublica,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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From Ediacaran Precursors To The Cambrian Explosion The discovery and classification of Dickinsonia have had profound implications for our understanding of the Cambrian explosion.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Authorities also said there was a vehicle on fire, which has since been put out, at the address of the house explosion.—
Kelly Murray,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Life was good, especially after the last three seasons of misery, when games at this time of year were meaningless aside from their impact on the draft lottery.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
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For civilians, the unrelenting misery of the last 18 months has just got a lot worse – especially as no aid has entered Gaza for six weeks.—
Tim Lister and Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In the episode, Duran describes his mental anguish during that time and some of the steps he’s taken since then to improve his mental health.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
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And all of that anguish of going through that process of retrying to develop my body in a way that will never be the same anyway.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The transformed Hidden Jungle aviary bursts with hundreds of butterflies each spring, attracting butterfly enthusiasts from across the region.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
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An 8-year-old Utah boy jumping on a trampoline miraculously survived after a strong wind burst sent him several feet into the air.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Orlov said Ukrainian POWs and civilians are known to be held in harsh conditions, where allegations of abuse and torture are common.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Apr. 2025
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The principle of universal jurisdiction allows for the prosecution of crimes such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and torture committed on foreign territory by persons who are not nationals of the jurisdiction in question.—
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In a lengthy interview with The Daily Mail, Moran's friend, Terry Stone, told the outlet that Moran's girlfriend was the one to encourage him to seek medical help after the actor was experiencing neck pain.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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This not only reduces the immediate emotional pain, but also rebuilds your internal resource pool that no longer needs to be devoted to maintaining the relationship.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agony. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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