English Explanatory Dictionary

agonize

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
  2. To struggle; to wrestle; to strive desperately, whether mentally or physically.
  3. To cause agony or anguish in someone.
  4. To act as an agonist upon; to combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiological reaction.

Pronunciation

/ˈæɡ.ɪ.naɪz/ En-agonize.ogg /ˈæɡ.ə.naɪz/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Yangolin-agonise.wav /ˈæɡ.ɪ.nɑez/

Word forms

agonize agonizes agonizing agonized agonise

Etymology

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

Synonyms

agonize lament bereave fret torture ache hurt anguish pain passion suffer thole throe wark wring afflict torment aggrieve dere excruciate irritate pang pine rack

Antonyms

chill relax take it easy

Related words

agon agony agonization deagonize agonizing

Derived words

agonizer overagonize
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on A Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary