agonal

[ ag-uh-nl ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or symptomatic of agony, especially paroxysmal distress, as the death throes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of agonal¹

First recorded in 1600–10; agon(y) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

And then there’s also information out there, he struggled against his restraints a little bit but there was some involuntary movement and some agonal breathing.

From New York Times

Video footage caught what prosecutors referred to as Pelosi’s “agonal breathing,” or what one officer described as the body trying to push oxygen to the brain in a last-ditch effort to stay alive.

From Los Angeles Times

His face, and especially his left temple, was misshapen, swollen, and lacerated; his...mouth was a coagulated pool of dark blood; he coughed up more than liter of blood in his agonal moments.

From Literature

The snoring was likely agonal breathing, a common sign of cardiac arrest, explained Dr. Michael Freeman, a forensic epidemiologist who testified in the George Floyd case.

From Seattle Times

A Pierce County Sheriff’s lieutenant would later tell investigators that once hobbled, Ellis’ breathing was agonal, explaining the sound was of someone dying and taking his last breaths, according to the charges.

From Seattle Times