agony
B2Formal to neutral; common in written and spoken English to describe severe distress.
Definition
Meaning
Extreme physical or mental suffering.
A state of intense struggle, doubt, or emotional pain; also used figuratively to describe intense effort or indecision (e.g., 'agony of choice').
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a mass noun, though 'agonies' can be used for repeated or varied instances of suffering. Often implies duration and intensity beyond ordinary pain.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use identically in core meaning. 'Agony aunt' (UK) is equivalent to 'advice columnist' (US).
Connotations
Equally strong in both varieties.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in UK media, but common in both.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
be in agonycause somebody agonyendure/suffer agonyagony of + noun (e.g., defeat, jealousy)agony over + noun/gerund (e.g., a decision)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “pile on the agony”
- “agony aunt/uncle”
- “agonising reappraisal”
- “in the agony of”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except metaphorically: 'The agony of the restructuring process was felt by all departments.'
Academic
Used in literature, history, psychology, and medicine to describe profound suffering.
Everyday
Common for describing severe physical pain (e.g., toothache) or emotional stress (e.g., waiting for important news).
Technical
In medicine, can describe a specific type of acute pain; in drama, refers to a pivotal struggle.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- He agonised for weeks before accepting the job offer.
- The manager is agonising over the final team selection.
American English
- She agonized over the decision to move states.
- The committee agonized for hours before reaching a verdict.
adverb
British English
- She waited agonisingly for the phone to ring.
- He was agonisingly close to winning the race.
American English
- The deadline approached agonizingly fast.
- The solution was agonizingly obvious in hindsight.
adjective
British English
- The agonising wait for the test results was unbearable.
- He made an agonisingly slow recovery.
American English
- The agonizing pain in his back required strong medication.
- It was an agonizingly detailed process.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- She cried out in agony when she fell.
- I have an agony in my stomach.
- The footballer was lying on the pitch in obvious agony.
- It was agony not knowing if they were safe.
- The agony of his loss was visible in his eyes.
- She went through agonies of doubt before her university interview.
- The critic's scathing review inflicted mental agony on the young author.
- The nation watched the agonisingly slow negotiations unfold.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine AGONY sounds like 'a go knee' – if you badly injured your knee, it would cause extreme agony.
Conceptual Metaphor
AGONY IS A FORCE/TORMENTOR (e.g., 'gripped by agony', 'agony tore through him'), AGONY IS A CONTAINER (e.g., 'in agony').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- False friend with 'агония' (agony), which in Russian is used almost exclusively for the final stages before death. English 'agony' is broader, covering any extreme suffering.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'agony' for mild discomfort. Confusing 'agony' with 'anger'. Incorrect: 'I was in agony because my coffee was cold.' Correct: 'I was in agony after the surgery.'
Practice
Quiz
Which phrase is a common idiom using 'agony'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is commonly used for both extreme physical pain and intense mental or emotional suffering.
'Pain' is the general term for physical or emotional suffering. 'Agony' implies an extreme, often prolonged, and intense degree of pain.
Primarily uncountable. The plural 'agonies' is used to refer to multiple intense experiences or varied forms of suffering (e.g., 'the agonies of war').
Yes, this follows the standard US (z) vs UK (s) spelling distinction for the -ize/-ise suffix.