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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agony
As Dieter screamed in agony, Kier fled to the waterfall to escape the sound.
—
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Feb. 2025
The woman continued to experience abdominal pain for years after her procedure, but the source of the agony could not be explained by her doctors, the lawsuit said.
—Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2025
Staff Sergeant Kennedy Robinson barked at a recruit whose arms were twitching in agony.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
Or their parents’ agony, night and day, for the past five years.
—David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Feb. 2025
The woman continued to experience abdominal pain for years after her procedure, but the source of the agony could not be explained by her doctors, the lawsuit said.
—Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2025
Staff Sergeant Kennedy Robinson barked at a recruit whose arms were twitching in agony.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
Or their parents’ agony, night and day, for the past five years.
—David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agony
Noun
-
The 1974 Best Picture Award Was Interrupted by an Onstage Streaker While most people have nightmares about being naked onstage in front of a massive group of people, 33-year-old Robert Opel did it voluntarily… during the most anticipated moment of Hollywood’s biggest night!—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
2 Mar. 2025
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The Los Angeles fires turned the crisis into a nightmare as State Farm asked Lara for permission to raise insurance premiums by an average of 22%.—
Emily Hallas,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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At Yosemite, a group of protesters also hung a 30-by-50-foot U.S. flag upside down—historically a symbol of dire distress—off the side of El Capitan, the park’s iconic sheer cliff face, on February 22 to raise awareness about the administration’s cuts.—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
4 Mar. 2025
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Forbes is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Mexico, Canada, and China are the first, second, and third largest trading partners of the U.S. Markets React to Tariff Disruption Equities markets indicated distress in a number of ways.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Plans for the upcoming flight test, which SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced this week, come a little more than a month since the last Starship launch ended in an explosion minutes after lifting off from Starbase in South Texas.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2025
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Given the explosion of WNBA collectibles — a Caitlin Clark rookie card sold for $234,850 back in December, or roughly the current max salary a WNBA player can earn under the current CBA — this is some extremely high-value territory.—
Howard Megdal,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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That system, Fritz Alphonse Jean said, has fueled immense misery and social inequalities as well as the current gang violence that has a desperate population urgently calling for help.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
8 Mar. 2025
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Indian spiritual leader and environmental campaigner Sadhguru has spoken to Newsweek about the nation's mental health, offering his secret to achieving a good state of mind by choosing joy or misery.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
But last year's Olympics were also a major source of anguish.—
Christopher Intagliata,
NPR,
3 Mar. 2025
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Every repeat viewing of Abraham's performance reveals some new moment of humiliation — some fresh sickening glimmer of anguish that feels all too familiar.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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For a color burst, look to Proenza Schouler, Dear Frances, and Cos—these pleasant spring hues will break up the dreariness of the current season.—
Cortne Bonilla,
Vogue,
5 Mar. 2025
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Customers, including businesses, governments and individuals, will be able to request light bursts by simply entering their location's GPS coordinates online.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But the two youngest children, Russell and Eve, were taken with Ruby in the move to Ivins — and were subjected to cruel torture at the hands of their mother and her business partner.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
28 Feb. 2025
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Camarena’s body was found a month later with evidence of torture and abuse.—
Greg Wehner,
Fox News,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Symptoms are akin to getting the flu: body aches, fever, abdominal pain.—
Rick Jervis,
USA TODAY,
9 Mar. 2025
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But the Heat remains without Alec Burks (lower back pain), Josh Christopher (G League), Nikola Jovic (broken right hand) and Dru Smith (left Achilles surgery) against the Bulls.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agony. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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