What does anguishing mean?
Anguishing is the present participle of the verb 'anguish', meaning to suffer acute mental or emotional torment, and it can also function as an adjective describing something that inflicts such suffering. To say someone is anguishing over a decision is to convey prolonged, wrenching inner struggle — a stronger term than mere worrying, implying deep, almost physical distress. The word derives ultimately from the Latin 'angor', meaning a choking or strangling sensation, the same root that gave English both 'anguish' and the medical term 'angina'. In modern usage it appears most often in literary prose, drama, and journalism, typically in phrases such as 'anguishing over a choice' or 'the anguishing wait for news'. Its connotations are intensely negative and dramatic, so writers reserve it for moments of genuine crisis rather than ordinary inconvenience.
To suffer severe mental or emotional distress; to endure intense inner torment.
"She was anguishing for days over whether to accept the job offer abroad."
Almost always used in progressive forms ('is anguishing', 'were anguishing') rather than as a bare infinitive.
Causing or characterized by intense mental or emotional suffering.
"It was an anguishing ordeal for everyone involved."
Typically used attributively, placed directly before the noun it modifies.
The word traces back to Latin 'angor' — the same root behind 'angina', literally a choking pain — so when you say someone is anguishing, you're invoking a word whose ancestors described physical suffocation.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anguishing
Anguishing comes from the verb 'anguish', which entered Middle English from Old French 'anguisse', itself derived from the Latin 'angor' — a word denoting a choking or throttling pain. This same Latin root produced the medical term 'angina pectoris' and, through Greek influence, the words 'anxious' and 'anxiety'. The participle form 'anguishing' developed naturally within English as the verb came to be used in continuous tenses, and its adjectival use followed as English participles increasingly took on descriptive roles.
Related word forms
How anguishing is actually used
Largely literary and emotive in register; more common in narrative prose and journalism than everyday conversation. The verbal use typically appears in progressive constructions ('is anguishing', 'was anguishing'), and the adjectival sense usually appears attributively before a noun ('an anguishing ordeal').
Easily confused with anguishing
'Anguish' is the noun naming the intense suffering itself, while 'anguishing' is the verb form describing the act of enduring that suffering, or an adjective describing something that causes it.