What does agony mean?
Agony refers to extreme suffering, whether physical — the searing pain of injury or illness — or emotional, such as grief, despair, or overwhelming anxiety. Derived from the Greek 'agonia', meaning a contest or struggle, the word originally evoked the intensity of athletic combat before settling into its modern sense of acute torment. It is a forceful term, generally reserved for situations of genuine severity rather than everyday discomfort, which gives it dramatic weight in both literature and ordinary speech. Common collocations include 'in agony', 'screaming in agony', and 'the agony of defeat', while the related phrase 'the agony and the ecstasy' captures the pairing of suffering with triumph. Writers often choose agony over milder words like discomfort or unease precisely because it signals that the suffering described is at its limit. Its derivatives — agonizing, agonized, agonizingly — extend this sense of prolonged, wrenching difficulty into adjectives and adverbs.
nounExtreme physical or mental suffering; intense pain or anguish of body or mind.
- Extreme physical suffering or pain.
- Intense mental or emotional distress.
- (Informal, chiefly British) A state of great effort or struggle, as in 'the agony of a close race'.
"She lay in agony for hours before the surgeons finally reached her."
"He was in such agony after the accident that even breathing hurt."
"The team endured the agony of losing the championship on the final play."
The plural 'agonies' is used when referring to multiple instances or types of intense suffering, though the singular remains far more common.
"She recounted the agonies of her long recovery from surgery."
The word 'agony' comes from the Greek 'agonia', meaning a struggle or contest — the same root that gave us 'protagonist' and 'antagonist'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of agony
Agony derives from the ancient Greek 'agonia', meaning a struggle or contest, itself rooted in 'agon', the gathering or competition central to Greek athletic and dramatic life. Latin adopted the word as 'agonia' with an added sense of mortal anguish, particularly Christ's suffering in Gethsemane, and Middle English received it via Old French in the late medieval period. Over time the religious connotation broadened into the general modern meaning of extreme physical or mental suffering. The same Greek root 'agon' also produced 'protagonist' and 'antagonist', making agony a distant cousin of these theatrical terms.
Related word forms
How agony is actually used
Agony is a strong word reserved for intense suffering; it carries a serious, often dramatic connotation. In informal British usage it can describe strenuous effort or suspense. The phrase 'the agony and the ecstasy' (from Irving Stone's novel title) contrasts suffering with joy.
Easily confused with agony
Agonies typically denote severe physical or mental suffering, while anguish emphasizes deep emotional or psychological distress.
An 'agony aunt' is a columnist who gives advice on personal problems, not a person in pain.