# agony

Pronunciation: say "AG-uh-nee" /ˈæɡəni/

## Noun

1. Pain so intense that it is extremely hard to bear.
   - Simple: Very great pain that is hard to bear.
   - _The patient was in agony until the painkillers finally took effect._
   - _She suffered agonies from a kidney stone on the long drive to the hospital._
2. The final struggle of life in the moments just before death.
   - Simple: The last hard struggle of life, just before death.
   - _The wounded stag thrashed in its death agony before lying still._
   - _Even in her final agony, the old queen tried to name an heir._
3. The suffering of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, often written with a capital A.
   - Simple: The great suffering of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
   - _The sermon dwelt on Christ's agony in Gethsemane on the night before the crucifixion._
   - _A small panel showing the Agony in the Garden hangs above the altar._
4. A sudden, overwhelming outburst of joy, or more generally any keen emotion.
   - Simple: A sudden burst of great joy, or any very strong feeling.
   - _Reading the acceptance letter, he laughed and wept in an agony of happiness._
   - _The crowd broke into agonies of delight as the final whistle blew._
5. A violent contest or fierce struggle.
   - Simple: A hard and violent fight or struggle.

## Origin

Entered English in the 14th century via Old French and Latin from Ancient Greek agōnía ("emulation, competition, struggle"), from agṓn ("contest"). It was used specifically of the struggle before death from the 1540s, and in the sense "extreme pain" from about 1600.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/agony (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).