agonizing

1 of 2

adjective

ag·​o·​niz·​ing ˈa-gə-ˌnī-ziŋ 

: causing agony

an agonizing injury

agonizingly adverb

agonizing

2 of 2

present participle of agonize

Synonyms of agonizing

Adjective

• painful
• harsh
• torturous
• cruel

Examples of agonizing in a Sentence

Adjective

a long and agonizing battle with cancer

She made the agonizing decision to cancel the trip.

The agonizing wait was finally over.

He was in agonizing pain.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

This album is not afraid of its own agonizing lows or tethered to a toe-tapping dance-pop initiative; reveling in this ever-molting freedom, Sivan drops what is easily his finest collection of songs to date. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

Pentobarbital that leaks from the vessels causes agonizing pain. — Dr. Jacob Appel, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026

This launch is the culmination of an agonizing rebranding campaign. — New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026

Hersh was held hostage for 328 sickening, agonizing, and starving days until his captors executed him with five other young and luminous people in a tunnel underneath Gaza. — Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Time, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of agonize

First Known Use

Adjective

1570, in the meaning defined above