agony
Plural: agonies
Noun
- Extreme physical or mental suffering.
- intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain
- "an agony of doubt"
- a state of acute pain
- Extreme pain.
- The sufferings of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane (often capitalized).
- Violent contest or striving.
- Paroxysm of joy; keen emotion.
- The last struggle of life; death struggle.
Examples
- The agony of having a great word but nowhere to play it is real.
- When the weight fell on her foot, she cried out in agony.
Origin / Etymology
14th century, via Old French and Latin from Ancient Greek ἀγωνία (agōnía, “emulation, competition, struggle”), from ἀγών (agṓn, “contest”). Specifically of the struggle that precedes death (mortal agony) from the 1540s.
The sense of "extreme pain" from c. 1600.
Synonyms
excruciation, suffering, torment, torture, agony, anguish, anguishment, bereavement, distress, living death, pang, throe
Scrabble Score: 9
agony: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordagony: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
agony: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary