agonizingly

adverb

as in bitterly
with feelings of bitterness or grief agonizingly made the decision to have her beloved cat put to sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of agonizingly But alas, eventually all involved have to get down to business and actually contend with the plot beats of Hoover’s story, which is when the movie careens off a cliff, plummeting past so-bad-it’s-good and crashing on the rocks of agonizingly dumb. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026 Ireland agonizingly captures the everyday indignities and legal roadblocks that survivors may encounter. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026 In the same way that the ball bounced off Darren Morris’ fingers and disappeared into the crowded Oregon bench, another chance to defeat a Power Four opponent slipped agonizingly through Boise State’s grasp on Saturday afternoon. — Idaho Statesman, 6 Sep. 2026 Likewise, the film rewards patience with an agonizingly tender culminating shot — a reminder that some things must change while others linger in the amber of childhood. — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 24 Aug. 2026 While court documents show there have been settlement discussions in some of the cases, some plaintiffs’ attorneys say the pace has been agonizingly slow—or nonexistent. — Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 13 Aug. 2026 While court documents show there have been settlement discussions in some of the cases, some plaintiffs’ attorneys say the pace has been agonizingly slow — or nonexistent. — Luke Cyphers, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2026 Englert and McLeod are agonizingly shocked when Anastasia and Sasha, on separate ships, hear each others’ voices for the first time in months, and realize the depths of their longing. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 July 2026 After a scientific odyssey, Wilsey is agonizingly close to realizing his goal. — Damian Garde, STAT, 9 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agonizingly
  1. bitterly
  2. sadly
  3. sorrowfully
  4. painfully
  5. hard
Adverb
  • The country is already bitterly divided, with far-left and far-right parties leading opinion polls ahead of presidential elections next year.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Although the father of the proposal, Dave Regan, is the president of a union, the labor movement is bitterly divided over the effort.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of bitterly
Adverb
  • Swift’s hubby Travis Kelce, however, was sadly absent from the show, as the NFL star had a Chiefs game against the Miami Dolphins in Florida today.
    — Christina Perrier, InStyle, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The dine-in omakase counter has sadly departed, but in its stead, Café Sushi Shoten has adopted a to-go model paired with Japanese groceries and sundries that is no less authentic, engaging, and delicious.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of sadly
Adverb
  • Tarun would tease her, and my mother would look sorrowfully toward Kavitha, as if the two of them now shared some womanly burden.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025
Definition of sorrowfully
Adverb
  • For the past three decades, defense procurement was a stagnant oligopoly dominated by a handful of massive legacy prime contractors and painfully slow cost-plus research-and-development cycles.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Life opened like a zipper, separating them painfully at first, notch by notch, then faster, wider, until the garment lay split in two.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of painfully
Adverb
  • And as direct as the ad is (more on it in a moment), the film goes even harder.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Beshear has also campaigned and advertised hard for Democratic candidate Zach Dembo, who is taking on GOP candidate Ralph Alvarado in the open 6th District seat around Lexington.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of hard

Browse Nearby Words

agonizing
agonizingly
agony
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Cite this Entry

“Agonizingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agonizingly. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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