1
as in nightmares
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 pains
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in plagues
to cause persistent suffering to
the neighbor's dog constantly tortures our cat, barking at him and chasing him down the street
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in distorts
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition
tortured her naturally straight hair into curls
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortures
Noun
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Symptoms include high anxiety, avoidance of reminders of the trauma, emotional numbness, hypervigilance, frequent intrusive memories of trauma, nightmares and flashbacks.—
Arash Javanbakht,
The Conversation,
15 Sep. 2025 -
Now, the nightmares come to Switch 2.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Yet, the new Terminal 1 has several stores that take great pains to include local flair.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The movie is, in part, about the labor pains of its creator, the screenwriter Charlie Kaufman.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Everything that plagues Chicago also plagues America.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Aug. 2025
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This temporary fix does nothing to resolve the chronic underfunding and instability that plagues these programs year after year.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Beyond 100 people, culture often fragments, communication distorts and the founder’s vision weakens.—
Jonathan Low,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Organizers have labelled the move a blatant act of erasure that distorts history — a stark contrast to the joy and visibility celebrated at the cookout.—
Essence,
Essence,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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More than a thousand miles away in New Delhi, Mohammad waits for his daughter, powerless to save her for a second time from the horrors faced by their community in Myanmar.—
Esha Mitra,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Hard Rock Stadium is a house of horrors for the Patriots dating back to their dynasty days.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With an almost modern-day Charlie Chaplin-esque physicality, Moss dances, contorts, and frolics amongst the shoes, their boxes, and fixtures in the store for a mesmerizing, can't-look-away effect.—
Roxanne Robinson,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Stewart contorts his face with a look of disbelief when asked if Montgomery has stayed on him.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that primarily and most severely afflicts children.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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Although there have been recent breakthroughs in the treatment of Alzheimer’s, no medication has succeeded in stopping or reversing the disease that afflicts more than 7 million Americans, a number projected to reach almost 13 million by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This movement deforms a fault network stretching west, where shallow earthquake occur (shown in orange and red).—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Tortures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortures. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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