agonize
/ˈæɡ.ɪ.naɪz/ verb
Forms agonizes agonizing agonized agonise
- verb (intransitive) To writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
- verb (intransitive, literary) To struggle; to wrestle; to strive desperately, whether mentally or physically.
- verb (transitive) To cause agony or anguish in someone.
- verb (transitive, biochemistry, pharmacology) To act as an agonist upon; to combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiological reaction.
Synonyms
ache hurt anguish pain passion suffer thole throe wark wring fret afflict torment aggrieve dere excruciate irritate pang pine rack agonise
Antonyms
Etymology
From French agoniser, from Late Latin agonizare, from Ancient Greek ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnízomai, “to fight, contend”). See agony. By surface analysis, agon + -ize.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.
- verb To struggle; to wrestle; to strive desperately.
- verb To cause to suffer agony; to subject to extreme pain; to torture.
Etymology [F. agoniser, LL. agonizare, fr. Gr. Agony.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “agonize”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details