Agonic
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Synonym of agonic line.
"One of these [agonic lines] passes over the American and the other over the Asiatic continent, and the former has consequently been called the American and the latter the Asiatic agonic. […] On the west of the Asiatic agonic the declination is west, on the east it is east."
- 1 Lacking an angle. not-comparable
- 2 Characterized by agony. not-comparable
"By cultivating his own reason, the pupil could stand back from the agonic scenes in Hades and decide the merits of the case after [François] Fénelon's artifice had absorbed him passionately in the dialogue: […]"
- 3 Having a magnetic deviation of zero. not-comparable
"There are two lines on the earth's surface which have been called agonic lines, upon which there is no declination; and where, therefore, the needle is directed along the terrestrial meridian."
- 4 Of a mode of social interaction based on threats, displays of power, or inducements of anxiety. not-comparable
"[I]n some primates, especially chimpanzees, the hedonic mode of social communication predominates group interactions. […] This is marked by much physical contact, stroking, hugging, lip smacking and sharing. The social interactions are more relaxed, as are the individual members of the group, and there is much focus on physical contact. This is in marked contrast to other more primitive primates, where the agonic mode dominates social behaviour."
- 5 Synonym of agonal. not-comparable
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- 6 Occurring shortly before death; agonal. not-comparable, obsolete
"A study of the conditions under which agonic invagination of the intestine occurs will not be out of place in considering the etiology of intussusception. Agonic invagination is very much more common in children than adults, the proportion being, according to [Hermann] Nothnagel, one to fifty. [Luther Emmett] Holt says that agonic invagination is met with in 80 per cent. of the post mortems on infants."
Synonyms
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More examples"There are two lines on the earth's surface which have been called agonic lines, upon which there is no declination; and where, therefore, the needle is directed along the terrestrial meridian."
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ᾰ̓- (ă-, the alpha privativum, a prefix forming words having a sense opposite to the word or stem to which it is attached) + γωνία (gōnía, “angle”) + -ic.
Borrowed from French agonique (“possessing or filled with agony; agonous”), from agonie (“the moment just before death”) + -ique (suffix forming adjectives from nouns) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-kos (suffix forming adjectives denoting “the characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to”)). Agonie is ultimately derived from Ancient Greek ἀγωνίᾱ (agōníā, “agony, anguish”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- (“to drive”).
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.