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In Ancient Greece, a public gathering was called agon. Since the Greeks placed a high value on sports and athletic competition, there were almost always athletic events at gatherings on festival days. The struggle to win the prize in such contests came to be called agonia. This term came also to be used for any difficult physical struggle and then for the pain that went with it—physical or mental. Our English word agony, meaning “intense pain of mind or body,” thus comes from a word that meant a happy celebration.
Synonyms
Examples of agony in a Sentence
Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 9 Apr. 2024
Human beings crash through nature, break it apart and leave it in ruins, just to make supper by 6 p.m.
Your only hope of keeping the agony of this realization at bay is to endeavor to be gentler and better in the tiny scope of things under your control.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
Hamas has frequently claimed that some of them have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, and three hostages were mistakenly killed by Israeli forces in December, adding to the agony for the families back home.
—Shira Pinson, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Before long, that excitement had faded into agony as the Giants’ Easter Sunday turned into a day from hell.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
Biden had survived a personal agony almost beyond reckoning: in 1972, a car accident had killed his wife, Neilia, and daughter, Naomi, and left his young sons, Beau and Hunter, hospitalized.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
The joy of winning, the agony of defeat, the anxiety of the unknown and the camaraderie of my teammates.
—Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024
These were the first moments of the agony that would haunt her over the next decade — spreading through her back, her shoulder, her arms.
—USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2024
In post-Roe America, women detail agony of being forced to carry nonviable pregnancies to term
Only four abortions in the state in 2023
One expert says the family was failed by the system.
—Rachel Scott, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'agony.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near agony
Cite this Entry
“Agony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agony. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Middle English agonie "agony," from Latin agonia (same meaning), from Greek agōnia "struggle," from agōn "gathering, contest for a prize"
Medical Definition
agony
noun
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