agony

/ˈa-gə-nē/

Middle English agonie, borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French agonie, borrowed from Late Latin agōnia, borrowed from Greek agōnía "contest, struggle, anguish," from agṓn "gathering, assembly at games, contest for a prize" (derivative of ágein "to lead, drive") + -ia

noun

  1. intense pain of mind or body : anguish, torture

  2. the struggle that precedes death

  3. a violent struggle or contest

the agony of rejection

distress suffering misery agony mean the state of being in great trouble. distress implies an external and usually temporary cause of great physical or mental strain and stress. suffering implies conscious endurance of pain or distress.

noun

  1. one who writes an agony column

noun

  1. a newspaper column of personal advertisements relating especially to missing relatives or friends

  2. a newspaper column that includes letters from readers seeking personal advice and the columnist's replies