agonize

13 synonyms for agonize, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Verb — To suffer great pain or distress.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

hurt pain suffer

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

ache anguish rack torment

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

agonise thole fret aggrieve excruciate afflict

Synonyms by Meaning

1. verb

To suffer great pain or distress.

ache hurt pain agonise anguish suffer thole

2. verb

To struggle hard, physically or mentally, to achieve something.

fret

3. verb

To cause someone great pain or distress.

hurt aggrieve excruciate rack anguish torment afflict

Etymology

From French agoniser, from Late Latin agonizare, from Ancient Greek ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnízomai, “to fight, contend”). See agony. By surface analysis, agon + -ize.

Full origin of agonize →

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pain hurt suffer rack torment anguish ache fret thole excruciate aggrieve afflict

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