agonize
/ˈaɡənʌɪz
/(also agonise)
verb [no object]
1Undergo great mental anguish through worrying about something: I didn’t agonize over the problem...
- Back in my day, we didn't worry about self-esteem or agonize over feelings.
- I obsess over it, agonize over it, ruminate over it.
- For all he agonised and fretted, he never fell apart.
Synonyms
worry, fret, fuss, upset oneself, rack one's brains, wrestle with oneself, be worried, be anxious, feel uneasy, exercise oneself, brood, muse;
mull over, dwell on, contemplate, ruminate, chew over, puzzle over, speculate, weigh up, turn over in one's mind;
be indecisive
informal stew
archaic pore on
1.1 [with object] Cause mental anguish to: a question which will agonize the technocrats...
- So I was agonized by their fear and insecurity - the backlash.
- This is not to say that he was not agonized by risky decisions he needed to make with regard to his career as a sage.
- Viewers in those days were agonized by his notion of justice and fair play!
Origin
Late 16th century: from French agoniser or late Latin agonizare, from Greek agōnizesthai 'contend', from agōn 'contest'.