agonised
Writhed in pain
Agonised is the British spelling of agonized.
It describes something marked by intense physical or mental suffering: an agonised cry, her agonised expression.
The word often characterizes sounds, looks, or decisions made under great distress.
An agonised decision involves painful deliberation, weighing options that all seem costly.
Intense mental suffering
- tormentSevere prolonged suffering
- painBodily or emotional distress
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
- distressSevere anxiety or suffering
misery · woe · grief · sorrow · despair · heartache · trauma · affliction
Forced choice between undesirables
- quandaryState of perplexity
- wrestlingCombat sport requiring holds
- strugglingExperiencing serious difficulty
- conflictedEmotionally at odds
torn · indecision · uncertainty · hesitation · weighing · grappling · pondering · soul-searching
Concern for others' distress
- sympathyCompassionate understanding of others
- concernTroubled interest in something
- commiserationPity expressed for suffering
- heartfeltDeeply and sincerely meant
solicitude · vicarious · moved · pained · distressed · touched · affected · grieving
Internal moral sense
- guiltMoral self-reproach
- remorseGuilt for wrongdoing
- scruplesMoral reservations about acting
- regretSorrow over past actions
ethics · principles · accountability · responsibility · integrity · shame · contrition · self-reproach
anguish
Intense mental suffering
- tormentSevere prolonged suffering
- painBodily or emotional distress
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
distress · misery · woe · grief · sorrow · despair · heartache · trauma · affliction · wretchedness
dilemma
Forced choice between undesirables
- quandaryState of perplexity
- wrestlingCombat sport requiring holds
- strugglingExperiencing serious difficulty
conflicted · torn · indecision · uncertainty · hesitation · weighing · grappling · pondering · soul-searching · hand-wringing
compassion
Concern for others' distress
- sympathyCompassionate understanding of others
- concernTroubled interest in something
- commiserationPity expressed for suffering
heartfelt · solicitude · vicarious · moved · pained · distressed · touched · affected · grieving
conscience
Internal moral sense
regret · ethics · principles · accountability · responsibility · integrity · shame · contrition · self-reproach · penitence
- dopamine agonistCompound mimicking neurotransmitter action
- partial agonistLigand producing submaximal effect
protagonist, antagonism, antagonistic, agonise, agonising, agonist, agonises, protagonists, antagonise