agonized 1 of 2

adjective

ˈa-gə-ˌnīzd How to pronounce agonized (audio)
Definition of agonizednext
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
1
as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to got into more trouble, further agonizing her poor mother

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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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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
  1. weeping
  2. plagued
  3. grieved
  4. mournful
  5. persecuted
  6. mourned
  7. heartbroken
  8. afflicted
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
  • Speculation and conspiracy theories have plagued Kirk’s death, fueled even by public figures such as Candace Owens, a longtime friend of Kirk, who has been outspoken about her belief that his death was orchestrated in an elaborate plot.
    — Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Hoover’s replacement has thus far been a miss, and the problem that plagued this program in losses in each of the last two years has not changed.
    — Mac Engel October 14, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 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
  • 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
  • And after Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl died in 2024, dozens of mournful fans gathered to say goodbye to the beloved creature who flew around Manhattan and became a joy to many after someone let him out of his zoo enclosure the previous year.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 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
  • 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
  • When the world mourned the death of a beloved monarch in 2023, Prince Edward was grieving the loss of his beloved cousin.
    — Stephanie Bridger-Linning, Vanity Fair, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of mourned
Adjective
  • While mourning her father, the heartbroken Sara uses a piece of chalk to draw a circle on the floor of the attic resembling the one Rama creates to protect Sita.
    — Sohini Sarah Pillai, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire honored Macy at a county Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday, telling community leaders that her death had left his office and the wider community heartbroken.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 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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Cite this Entry

“Agonized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonized. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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