agonizing

[ag-uh-nahy-zing] / ˈæg əˌnaɪ zɪŋ /

ADJECTIVE

difficult and painful, suffering

Synonyms

STRONGEST

excruciating harrowing intense tortuous

STRONG

disturbing heart-wrenching racking struggling tearing tormenting torturing

WEAK

extreme fierce vehement violent

Antonyms

STRONGEST

pleasant pleasing

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One of the most agonizing streaks in sports is over.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026

Once she learned this, he added, finalizing her return wasn’t as agonizing.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

But occasionally, the mysteries of this one, often cruel life can be more agonizing than any grief.

From Salon • May 25, 2026

They were only rescued by an agonizing video review that took over 4 minutes to disallow the goal.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

After Briony had disappeared into the house with his letter, he kept on walking, agonizing about turning back.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan