Standard Lemma guide

agonize

verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈæɡ.ɪ.naɪz/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈæɡ.ɪ.naɪz/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈæɡ.ə.naɪz/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ˈæɡ.ɪ.nɑez/
  • rhymes with -æɡənaɪz
  • CMU ARPABET: AE1 G AH0 N AY2 Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ache, hurt, agonize, anguish, pain, passion, suffer, thole, throe, wark, wring

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To struggle; to wrestle; to strive desperately, whether mentally or physically.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive, literary

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fret

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To cause agony or anguish in someone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: afflict, torment, ache, aggrieve, agonize, anguish, dere, excruciate, hurt, irritate, pang, pine, rack, throe, torture, wring

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To act as an agonist upon; to combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiological reaction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, medicine, microbiology, natural-sciences, pharmacology, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

suffer agony or anguish

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: agonise

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: suffer

6

verb

Meaning 6

cause to agonize

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: agonise

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pain, anguish, hurt

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: агонизи́рам (agonizíram) — to writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  • Catalan: agonitzar — to writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  • Chinese Mandarin: 焦虑不已 (jiāolǜ bùyǐ) — to writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  • Esperanto: angori — to writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  • Finnish: kitua — to writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  • Finnish: kärsiä — to writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  • German: quälen — to writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  • Portuguese: agonizar — to writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  • Spanish: agonizar — to writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  • Unami: ahowamàlsi — to writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  • Bulgarian: мятам се (mjatam se) — to struggle
  • Chinese Mandarin: 痛苦挣扎 (tòngkǔ zhēngzhá) — to struggle
  • Finnish: kipuilla — to struggle
  • Māori: whakaangaanga — to struggle