agonize
/ˈæɡ.ɪ.naɪz/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 2.14 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To struggle; to wrestle; to strive desperately, whether mentally or physically.
Intransitive verb; Literary
Example Sentences
- "His Touch, if tremblingly alive all o’er, / To smart, and agonize at ev’ry pore?"
- "So I took a last stare round, agonizing to see if there was any way of escape; but the stone walls and roof were solid enough to crush me, and the stack of casks too closely packed to hide more than a rat."
- "That dreadful bill […] was one of the chief torments of her life. At all hours of the night or day it was waiting just round the corner of her consciousness, ready to spring upon her and agonise her […]"
Etymology
From French agoniser, from Late Latin agonizare, from Ancient Greek ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnízomai, “to fight, contend”). See agony. By surface analysis, agon + -ize.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: *h₂eǵ-, agoniser, agonizare, ἀγωνίζομαι
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈæɡ.ɪ.naɪz/
- British English: /ˈæɡ.ɪ.naɪz/