Skip to content

agonie

agony

noun ah-goh-NEE Rare
Body & Health Health & Illness

Origin: Greek 'agonia' (contest, anguish)

Also means

death throes

Usage Note

Agonie is a false friend: it primarily means the final moments before death ('death throes'), not mere severe pain. Saying someone is en agonie implies they are dying, not just suffering greatly. For intense but non-fatal pain, French uses souffrance or douleur atroce.

Examples

"Le blessé était en agonie sur le champ de bataille."

Natural Translation

The wounded man was in his death throes on the battlefield.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic