torturous

adjective

tor·​tur·​ous ˈtȯr-chə-rəs 

ˈtȯrch-

1

a

: very unpleasant or painful

a torturous day

torturous self-doubts

b

: causing torture

torturous inquisitions

2

: painfully difficult or slow

the torturous course of the negotiations

torturously adverb

Synonyms of torturous

• painful
• harsh
• cruel

Examples of torturous in a Sentence

relatives had to make the torturous decision to disconnect the patient's life-support system

the post-infection treatment for rabies was as notoriously torturous as the disease itself

Recent Examples on the Web

The point is that in a pinch, Apple’s low-cost MacBook can handle its share of work without slowing to a crawl or feeling torturous to deal with. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026

The break was long and torturous for fans but clearly restorative for Styles, who lolled in the Italian countryside with Alessandro Michele, bonded with a new niece, and found himself unassumingly among the masses in the Vatican when the conclave elected Pope Leo XIV last June. —Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2026

After a torturous 2025 season that featured one of the worst team pitching performances in major league history, the pitching think tank was overhauled. —Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026

Every year many Christians are arrested and imprisoned under torturous conditions for practicing their right to religious freedom, where a simple act like praying together in house-churches seems like an act of civil disobedience. —Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

torturous

adjective

tor·​tur·​ous ˈtȯrch-(ə-)rəs 

: causing great pain

torturously adverb