tormentor

noun

tor·​men·​tor tȯr-ˈmen-tər  ˈtȯr-ˌmen- 

variants or less commonly tormenter

1

: one that torments

2

: a fixed curtain or flat on each side of a theater stage that prevents the audience from seeing into the wings

Synonyms

• harasser
• torturer
• tease
• attacker
• persecutor
• victimizer
• assailant

Examples of tormentor in a Sentence

shocked by the news that his chief tormentor from elementary school had written a book about the dangers of bullying

Recent Examples on the Web

The mind could wander briefly about the Giants riding a two-game winning streak into a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Eagles, equipped to knock off their tormentors who suddenly look vulnerable. —Dan Duggan, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025

On the Met’s stage, the writer — called, say, Jamal Khashoggi — would be sung by a heroic tenor, his tormentor by a demonic baritone. —Justin Davidson, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025

Thornton uses a wheelchair, and here his Lucky is guided by his tormentor. —Frank Rizzo, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025

There appears to be no limit to his sensitivity or his determination to humble his tormentors. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tormentor

• dissenter
• indenter
• inventor
• precentor
• preventer
• center
• centre
• enter
• renter
• stentor
• tenter
• epicenter