Literary notes about Agonizing (AI summary)
The adjective "agonizing" in literature is used to evoke a spectrum of intense experiences, from physical torment to deep emotional suffering. Authors deploy it to illustrate not only the excruciating pain of bodily afflictions—as when a character endures a piercing, sudden injury ([1]) or a relentless, cold misery ([2])—but also to capture the crushing weight of inner despair and regret, as seen in moments where memories or actions cause recurring pangs of shame and mortification ([3], [4]). Its versatility allows it to heighten suspense and underscore dramatic transformation, whether in the slow build of dread as a door approaches ([5]), or in the bittersweet intensity of recollection that leaves a character emotionally divided ([6]). In this way, "agonizing" enriches the narrative, deepening readers' engagement with the characters' most harrowing moments.
- It was all he could do to keep himself from screaming out, for an agonizing pain shot through his forearm.
— from The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle - Straightening his legs with difficulty and shaking the snow off them he got up, and an agonizing cold immediately penetrated his whole body.
— from Master and Man by graf Leo Tolstoy - There was nothing remarkable in all this conversation, but never after could Anna recall this brief scene without an agonizing pang of shame.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - I never, never should have got over such a agonizing mortification."
— from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - And yet, as he heard the slow, heavy footfall approaching the door, a moment of agonizing doubt gripped his will and weakened his arm.
— from The Southerner: A Romance of the Real Lincoln by Dixon, Thomas, Jr. - He felt this from the agonizing sensation of division that he experienced at that instant.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy
