angoissant
/ɑ̃.ɡwa.sɑ̃/
The English word "agonizing" is translated into French as angoissant.
angoissant is most commonly used to describe things that cause mental anguish, anxiety or dread rather than physical pain.
Meaning: causing agony (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes based on the gender of the noun it modifies. Use the masculine form angoissant for masculine nouns and the feminine form angoissante, created by adding an -e to the end, for feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɑ̃.ɡwa.sɑ̃/ (3 syllables)
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to use agonisant to mean "agonizing" in the sense of causing anxiety. In French, agonisant actually means "dying" or "in the throes of death".
Did you know?
- The word angoisse which forms the root of angoissant comes from the Latin 'angustia' meaning 'narrowness' or 'tightness'.
- The word agonisant comes from the Greek 'agōn', meaning a struggle or contest. In French, this evolved from a struggle for life to the specific medical state of being near death.
- Avoid using agonisant to describe a difficult math problem or a long wait. To a French ear, you would be suggesting the math problem is currently in its final moments of life.
Examples in context
- La douleur que je ressens est extrêmement excruciante.The pain I feel is extremely excruciating.
- Cette migraine est insupportable.This migraine is unbearable.
- Sa perte a été une épreuve insupportable.His/her loss was an unbearable ordeal.
- La blessure qu'il a subie est atroce.The injury he suffered is agonizing.
- La douleur émotionnelle est souvent atroce.Emotional pain is often agonizing.
- Cette attente est insoutenable.This wait is unbearable.
- Le film était tellement ennuyeux, c'était insoutenable.The movie was so boring, it was unbearable.
- J'ai subi une crampe affreuse hier soir.I had an agonizing cramp last night.
- C'est un silence angoissant.It is an agonizing silence.
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are waiting for news about a job interview.
- HugoJe n'en peux plus d'attendre.I can't stand waiting anymore.
- ManonJe sais, c'est angoissant pour nous deux.I know, it's agonizing for both of us.
- HugoEst-ce qu'ils vont appeler aujourd'hui ?Are they going to call today?
- ManonJ'espère, Hugo, sinon je vais stresser.I hope so, Hugo, otherwise I'm going to stress out.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry angoissant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
