Agonistic
combative; striving to overcome in argument.
straining for effect:
agonistic humor.
of or relating to ancient Greek athletic contests.
Ethology. pertaining to the range of activities associated with aggressive encounters between members of the same species, including threat, attack, appeasement, or retreat.
Historical Examples
Moreover, most of the burrows were only a few feet apart and no agonistic behavior was witnessed.
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula Erwin E. Klaas
These actions have been emancipated from incomplete take-offs and incorporated in ritualized courtship and agonistic behavior.
Natural History of the Bell Vireo, Vireo bellii Audubon Jon C. Barlow
According to Aristotle himself, therefore, the Dialectician is agonistic and eristic, just as much as the Sophist.
Aristotle George Grote
adjective
striving for effect; strained
eager to win in discussion or argument; competitive
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involving or accompanied by or severe struggle: an agonized effort. to suffer extreme pain or anguish; be in . to put forth great effort of any kind. to distress with extreme pain; torture. Contemporary Examples As President Barack Obama plays an agonized Hamlet over Afghanistan, the ice is cracking beneath his feet on Capitol Hill. […]
- Agonizing
accompanied by, filled with, or resulting in or distress: We spent an agonizing hour waiting to hear if the accident had been serious or not. to suffer extreme pain or anguish; be in . to put forth great effort of any kind. to distress with extreme pain; torture. Contemporary Examples And so a writer of […]
- Agonizingly
accompanied by, filled with, or resulting in or distress: We spent an agonizing hour waiting to hear if the accident had been serious or not. Contemporary Examples Heartsick, depressed, agonizingly lonely, she would disappear for days behind her locked bedroom doors. New Questions Arise About Mary Richardson Kennedy’s Suicide Nancy Collins May 15, 2013 The […]
- Agony column
a section or column in a newspaper containing advertisements by individuals seeking missing relatives or lost pets or possessions, announcing the end of a marriage, etc. Contemporary Examples Reynolds wrote an agony column, “Susan Chester Heart-to-Heart Letters,” for the Brooklyn Eagle. American Dreams, 1933: Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West Nathaniel Rich April 28, 2013 Historical […]
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noun (sometimes capital) a person who writes the replies to readers’ letters in an agony column Gender-netural form advice columnist noun an advice columnist for a periodical or media program Examples Ann Landers and Dear Abby are agony aunts. Word Origin from ‘agony’ as personal problems and ‘aunt’ for one offering comfort and advice Usage […]