agony

English

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.

Pronunciation

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• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈæ.ɡə.niː/

Noun

agony (countable and uncountable, plural agonies)

1. Extreme pain.

   When the weight fell on her foot, she cried out in agony.

2. (biblical) The sufferings of Jesus Christ in the garden of Gethsemane.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, Luke 22:44, column 1:

     And being in an agonie, he prayed more earneſtly, […].

3. Violent contest or striving.
   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 10, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volumes (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

     The world is convulsed by the agonies of great nations.

4. Paroxysm of joy; keen emotion.
   • 1725, Homer, “Book X”, in [Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. , volume III, London: Bernard Lintot, →OCLC:

     With cries and agonies of wild delight.

5. The last struggle of life; death struggle.

Synonyms

• anguish, torment, throe, distress, pang, suffering
• See also Thesaurus:agony

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “extreme pain”): ecstasy

Derived terms

Related terms

• agon
• agonal
• agonist, antagonist, protagonist
• agonistes
• agonize, agonise

Translations

Anagrams

• Goyan