Synonyms for agony
ˈæg ə niagony

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:2.3 / 3 votes

1. agonynoun

   Synonyms:
   suffering, torment, distress, throe, anguish, pang

2. agonynoun

   Violent contest or striving.

   The world is convulsed by the agonies of great nations. —Thomas Babington Macaulay.

   Synonyms:
   throe, anguish, distress, pang, torment, suffering

3. agonynoun

   Pain so extreme as to cause writhing or contortions of the body, similar to those made in the athletic contests in Greece; and hence, extreme pain of mind or body; anguish; paroxysm of grief; specifically, the sufferings of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane.

   Being in an agony he prayed more earnestly. —Luke xxii. 44.

   Synonyms:
   suffering, pang, torment, throe, anguish, distress

4. agonynoun

   Paroxysm of joy; keen emotion.

   With cries and agonies of wild delight. —Alexander Pope.

   Synonyms:
   pang, suffering, throe, torment, distress, anguish

5. agonynoun

   The last struggle of life; death struggle.

   Synonyms:
   torment, throe, anguish, pang, suffering, distress

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.3 / 6 votes

1. agony

   Pain is the most general term of this group, including all the others; pain is a disturbing sensation from which nature revolts, resulting from some injurious external interference (as from a wound, a bruise, a harsh word, etc.), or from some lack of what one needs, craves, or cherishes (as, the pain of hunger or bereavement), or from some abnormal action of bodily or mental functions (as, the pains of disease, envy, or discontent). Suffering is one of the severer forms of pain. The prick of a needle causes pain, but we should scarcely speak of it as suffering. Distress is too strong a word for little hurts, too feeble for the intensest suffering, but commonly applied to some continuous or prolonged trouble or need; as, the distress of a shipwrecked crew, or of a destitute family. Ache is lingering pain, more or less severe; pang, a pain short, sharp, intense, and perhaps repeated. We speak of the pangs of hunger or of remorse. Throe is a violent and thrilling pain. Paroxysm applies to an alternately recurring and receding pain, which comes as it were in waves; the paroxysm is the rising of the wave. Torment and torture are intense and terrible sufferings. Agony and anguish express the utmost pain or suffering of body or mind. Agony of body is that with which the system struggles; anguish that by which it is crushed.

   Synonyms:
   ache, anguish, distress, pain, pang, paroxysm, suffering, throe, torment, torture, twinge, wo(e)

   Antonyms:
   comfort, delight, ease, enjoyment, peace, rapture, relief, solace

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.3 / 3 votes

1. agony

   Synonyms:
   pain, torture, torment, distress, woe, throe, suffering, pang, excruciation

   Antonyms:
   assuagement, comfort, peace, ease, relief, gratification, enjoyment, rapture, ecstasy, composure

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:4.3 / 4 votes

1. agony, torment, torturenoun

   intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain

   "an agony of doubt"; "the torments of the damned"

   Synonyms:
   badgering, distortion, worrying, overrefinement, torturing, straining, harassment, excruciation, torture, anguish, bedevilment, suffering, twisting, curse, torment

2. agony, suffering, excruciationnoun

   a state of acute pain

   Synonyms:
   hurt, distress, woe, excruciation, torture, suffering, crucifixion, torment

Matched Categories

1. • Pain
   • Suffering

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. agonynoun

   Synonyms:
   ANGUISH, pang, torture, torment, distress, rack, throe, severe pain, extreme suffering

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "agony":

   anguish, martyrdom, suffering, pain, distress

Suggested Resources

1. agony

   Song lyrics by agony -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by agony on the Lyrics.com website.

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How to use agony in a sentence?

1. Philip Chatfield:

   The pain continued to get worse and nobody seemed able to solve the problem, mr. Dixon performed the operation in 2016 with the mesh but it was unsuccessful and caused her to be in agony.

2. Larry Krasner:

   They don’t believe that. They know better than that, this is pure hypocrisy. This is taking advantage of people’s pain, their suffering, their tragedy, their agony … this is taking advantage of that for the worst kind of cheap politics.

3. Maya Angelou:

   There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

4. Catullus:

   I hate and I love. Perhaps you ask why I do so. I do not know, but I feel it, and am in agony.

5. Kelsey Smith:

   It would not have saved Kelsey’s life, but it would have saved us four days of agony not knowing where our child was.