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
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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
If the fates are kind, the Avs have learned at least two things from the sheer agony of the past weekend.
—
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 May 2025
At this point in the narrative, when Mike is sentenced to 14 months jail time, more conventional addiction dramas would dig into the trauma of incarceration and the agony of substance withdrawal.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025
One young man described the particular agony of being placed carelessly in a wheelchair and forced to sit for hours atop his testicles.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 16 May 2025
All while hearing jokes, arguments, and absorbing how grown men handled the joy of victory and the agony of defeat.
—Jason Quick, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 May 2025
At this point in the narrative, when Mike is sentenced to 14 months jail time, more conventional addiction dramas would dig into the trauma of incarceration and the agony of substance withdrawal.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025
One young man described the particular agony of being placed carelessly in a wheelchair and forced to sit for hours atop his testicles.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 16 May 2025
All while hearing jokes, arguments, and absorbing how grown men handled the joy of victory and the agony of defeat.
—Jason Quick, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agony
Noun
-
Saving him and others is their work Pratt & Whitney union votes to approve new contract, end strike Private equity created a ‘nightmare’ in CT hospitals, staff say.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2025
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Watching the men who trusted him to lead them home devoured by monsters or crushed by clashing rocks was not a fairytale, but a nightmare.—
Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
The organization provides up to eight free mental health and counseling sessions to youth and their families who have experienced gun violence, abuse or emotional distress.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 May 2025
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Noumea’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre notified Carnival Splendor about a distress call from a catamaran while the ship was traveling south of New Caledonia on Thursday, according to a news release.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
Salt Lake has had this huge explosion over the past few years.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2025
-
Since March, the southeast crater showed signs of activity with smaller explosions and moderate lava flows.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Noun
-
In the studio, a bad idea can be put out of its misery within a few minutes.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
30 May 2025
-
The Athletic reflects on their 2024-25 efforts, culminating in a 14th-place finish, that caused more misery than joy.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
Noun
-
The victim’s scream of anguish is captured in the video.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
26 May 2025
-
Rite of Spring is the Pièce de resistance of the exhibition and features a mass of writhing bodies morphing into each other, women giving birth, androgynous figures and figures with expressions of anguish.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Short bursts of revenue can flatter results but may not create lasting value, so make decisions with a long horizon in mind.—
Ayo Adepoju,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
-
The successful challenge appeared to give Florida a burst of energy, but the Panthers could not convert on any of their chances in the shutout loss.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
27 May 2025
Noun
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As many as 40,000 Ravensbrück inmates died of starvation, disease, torture, shooting, lethal injections, medical experiments, and from lethal gas.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
4 June 2025
-
Secretary Noem argues the program has been abused, but immigration advocacy groups have warned that many immigrants would be vulnerable to abuse, torture, or arrest should they be forced to return home.—
Dan Gooding
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 June 2025
Noun
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Winant crystallizes this idea of crossing a indescribable threshold through her discussion and analysis of masochism, an intrinsic component of athletic practice that intertwines physical pleasure with pain.—
Jessica Simmons-Reid,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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The research on seed oils has picked up over the past decade , including Zamora’s clinical trials that found limiting seed oils improved participants’ chronic pain.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agony. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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