agony

agony
ag‧o‧ny /ˈæɡəni/ noun (plural agonies) [uncountable and countable]1. very severe pain:
    the agony of arthritis
    in agony
    I was in agony.
    He groaned in agony.
2. a very sad, difficult, or unpleasant experience:
    It was agony not knowing if she would live.
    agony of
    He was in agonies of remorse.
⇨ pile on the pressure/agony at PILE ON(2), ⇨ prolong the agony at prolong(2)
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ pain noun [uncountable and countable] the feeling when part of your body hurts: A broken leg can cause a lot of pain. | He felt a sharp pain in his chest.
   ▪ ache noun [uncountable and countable] a continuous pain, especially one that is not very bad. Most commonly used in compounds such as headache, toothache, and backache: I felt an ache in my back after decorating all day. | Driving gives me a headache. | I’ve got stomach ache. | Do you have earache?
   ▪ twinge noun [countable] a sudden slight pain that comes and then disappears quickly: When I bent down I felt a twinge in my back.
   ▪ discomfort noun [uncountable] formal an uncomfortable feeling in your body, or a slight pain: The procedure takes five minutes and only causes slight discomfort.
   ▪ agony noun [uncountable] a feeling of great pain, or a situation in which you feel a lot of pain: the agony of childbirth | I was in agony by the time I got to the hospital. | It was agony (=very painful)getting up out of bed.
   ▪ suffering noun [uncountable] continuous physical or mental pain, which makes someone very unhappy: I just wanted someone to put an end to my suffering. | the suffering of the earthquake victims