1
as in nightmare
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
it's torture for me to see you so unhappy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in agony
a state of great suffering of body or mind
spent an afternoon in torture waiting to hear whether her brother had made it home safely
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
the neighbor's dog constantly tortures our cat, barking at him and chasing him down the street
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to distort
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition
tortured her naturally straight hair into curls
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of torture
Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Investigators rule out a hate crime: Law enforcement officials in upstate New York said that the torture and killing of Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old transgender man whose remains were found in a field in upstate New York last week, did not appear to be a hate crime.
—James Barron, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2025
Two more people have been arrested in connection with the death of a transgender man from Minnesota who investigators suspect was tortured for more than a month.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Noun
The choice of song may be legitimately be considered torture, for the victim and for the viewer.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Investigators rule out a hate crime: Law enforcement officials in upstate New York said that the torture and killing of Sam Nordquist, a 24-year-old transgender man whose remains were found in a field in upstate New York last week, did not appear to be a hate crime.
—James Barron, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
His wrists and ankles were tied, and a short rope was looped around his neck, suggesting that the assailant had tortured the victim by choking him.
—Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2025
Two more people have been arrested in connection with the death of a transgender man from Minnesota who investigators suspect was tortured for more than a month.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torture
Noun
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The 1974 Best Picture Award Was Interrupted by an Onstage Streaker While most people have nightmares about being naked onstage in front of a massive group of people, 33-year-old Robert Opel did it voluntarily… during the most anticipated moment of Hollywood’s biggest night!—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
2 Mar. 2025
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The Los Angeles fires turned the crisis into a nightmare as State Farm asked Lara for permission to raise insurance premiums by an average of 22%.—
Emily Hallas,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Challenges of rebuilding Victims who lost homes will be faced with the decision whether to rebuild — which can be agony.—
Tony Saavedra,
Orange County Register,
24 Feb. 2025
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Then, Cara’s killshot was followed by her screams of agony at her dire circumstances.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2025
Verb
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As the title hints, the relationship was plagued with disagreements, and the artist soon abandoned her original idea for a collaboration with the organization.—
Fabiola Iza,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2025
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How to tackle money problems right now Besides taxes, inflation is plaguing Americans' money worries.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Only in our current cultural moment, the stakes and outcomes are distorted in ways an artist of Simone’s era could never recognize.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
1 Mar. 2025
-
But that bag still has a way of distorting things for some players.—
Danny Emerman,
The Mercury News,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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That system, Fritz Alphonse Jean said, has fueled immense misery and social inequalities as well as the current gang violence that has a desperate population urgently calling for help.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
8 Mar. 2025
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Indian spiritual leader and environmental campaigner Sadhguru has spoken to Newsweek about the nation's mental health, offering his secret to achieving a good state of mind by choosing joy or misery.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Get ahead of a tween’s difficult feelings by recognizing the early signs of emotional distress, such as disruption in sleep and less interest in their hobbies, and reroute all-or-nothing thoughts, suggests Daniel Huy, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at Hackensack Meridian Health.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
4 Mar. 2025
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Forbes is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Mexico, Canada, and China are the first, second, and third largest trading partners of the U.S. Markets React to Tariff Disruption Equities markets indicated distress in a number of ways.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Rwanda has claimed the Tutsis are being persecuted by Hutus and former militias responsible for the 1994 genocide of 800,000 Tutsis and others in Rwanda.—
CHINEDU ASADU,
arkansasonline.com,
17 Feb. 2025
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Miller wrote the play as an allegory for McCarthyism, when the U.S. government persecuted people of being communists.—
Contributed Content,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Recorded in a two-week burst not long before his 30th birthday, Cold Visions spiraled between euphoria and Promethean torment, pushing past nihilism and onwards to ego death.—
Meaghan Garvey,
Pitchfork,
25 Feb. 2025
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People came to see the militias, and by extensions the Americans, as a source of torment, not salvation.—
Azam Ahmed,
New York Times,
24 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Torture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torture. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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