1
as in nightmare
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
it's torture for me to see you so unhappy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025
Real fans, however, know that Grey’s Anatomy is actually an emotional torture device overseen by the brilliant and sadistic Shonda Rhimes, an agonizing exercise in grief and loss delivered in weekly installments.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 27 Mar. 2025
Charna Flam, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Khalaf is also writing a TV series entitled The Syrian Doctor about a medic who arrested and tortured in 2012 for treating pro-democracy protestors and then flees to France with his three-year-old daughter.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Noun
The single location is presented like a claustrophobic torture chamber, but much of the movie looks and feels like any other family’s crappy afternoon.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025
Real fans, however, know that Grey’s Anatomy is actually an emotional torture device overseen by the brilliant and sadistic Shonda Rhimes, an agonizing exercise in grief and loss delivered in weekly installments.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 27 Mar. 2025
Verb
On Wednesday, April 9, Jordan Love, 29, who previously fled Michigan after allegedly abusing her dog, was charged with second-degree killing/torturing animals and abandoning/cruelty to four to 10 animals.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Khalaf is also writing a TV series entitled The Syrian Doctor about a medic who arrested and tortured in 2012 for treating pro-democracy protestors and then flees to France with his three-year-old daughter.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torture
Noun
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Package delivery and unpaid toll texts have taken most of the headlines, but an even worse threat is proving a nightmare for phone users.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
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What begins as an ordinary parental milestone descends into a nightmare as a cross-border search unfolds.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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His experiences at Fuchu Prison left him with frostbite, screaming in agony, after being exposed to sub-zero temperatures during 20 days in solitary confinement.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
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What began as a blissful afternoon in the Florida sun ended in agony when a Jeep Wrangler suddenly barreled over a man lying on the beach, police said.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Puerto Rico is frequently plagued by power outages, with the most recent island-wide event on New Year's Eve taking days to resolve.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
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Now a depth arm in the organization who was called up from triple-A Oklahoma City for a spot start Wednesday, Miller’s first MLB outing of 2025 mirrored the struggles that plagued him over the rest of 2024.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The references to nineteenth-century American literary heroes and ideals may be distorted, but the ideals find an authentic embodiment in these calmly rapturous images of nature.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2025
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What once kept us safe can now distort intimacy, create misunderstandings and erode trust.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Kennedy described addiction as both a source of misery and a symptom of deeper pain, drawing from his own experience of trying to fill an emotional void with drugs.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
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Now, though, The Last of Us is as blinded as Ellie is by misery.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Kahle said that includes providing resources to participants for whom sharing experiences of intimate partner violence may cause trauma or mental health distress.—
Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan,
Miami Herald,
20 Apr. 2025
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Climate anxiety — emotional distress linked to the climate crisis — is already widespread.—
Brooke Kasl-Godley,
Mercury News,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In a video posted to his Truth Social platform in December 2023, Trump accused the FBI and DOJ of sending undercover spies to churches to persecute people of faith.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
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The statement concluded with an expression of solidarity with Christians who are persecuted.—
Chloe Breyer,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Paul invited them in, but that simple act led to years of torment.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
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For those who have seen family members battle the torment of cancer, the memories may last a lifetime.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torture. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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