torment 1 of 2

torment

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word torment different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of torment are afflict, rack, torture, and try. While all these words mean "to inflict on a person something that is hard to bear," torment suggests persecution or the repeated inflicting of suffering or annoyance.

a horse tormented by flies

Where would afflict be a reasonable alternative to torment?

While the synonyms afflict and torment are close in meaning, afflict is a general term and applies to the causing of pain or suffering or of acute annoyance, embarrassment, or any distress.

ills that afflict the elderly

When could rack be used to replace torment?

The words rack and torment are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rack stresses straining or wrenching.

a body racked by pain

When is torture a more appropriate choice than torment?

In some situations, the words torture and torment are roughly equivalent. However, torture adds the implication of causing unbearable pain or suffering.

tortured by a sense of guilt

When might try be a better fit than torment?

While in some cases nearly identical to torment, try suggests imposing something that strains the powers of endurance or of self-control.

children often try their parents' patience

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of torment
Noun
Blinded by love, Hilmi doesn’t see the torment Leyla’s new stepmother inflicts on her, turning their home into a living nightmare. Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 8 May 2025 Connors redefines his mission, which results in a personal transformation to ultimately escape the torment of a never-ending Groundhog Day. Michael Hicks, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
Verb
However, the emphasis is less on any ultimate hookup than on how the distinct pressures of the ivory tower can torment and even destroy its inhabitants. Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2025 Now the team does as well. Tipoff Wednesday night marked the halfway point for the Knicks’ quest to cleanse Madison Square Garden of the curse that has tormented it for five decades. Kyle Wagner, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for torment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torment
Noun
  • Barking in agony, the fox scratches and claws in any attempt to free itself and get to safety.
    Outside Online, Outside Online, 28 May 2025
  • Michaela calmly explains that Jocelyn got botched plastic surgery that’s kept her in private agony for the last decade.
    Caroline Framke, Vulture, 23 May 2025
Noun
  • That places an onerous burden on Henson, doing her considerable best trying to sustain a role whose Job-like travails crank the distress level to 11 too soon.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 June 2025
  • The report highlights research on young adults that shows that trans students who participate in collegiate sports are less likely to experience distress, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.
    Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • The trailer certainly paints a trippy picture of a high-tech near-future that veers into nightmare territory, as so many games in the Black Ops franchise tend to do, slipping between missions in the real-world and a psychedelic dream-world filled with demons and other nightmares.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
  • Months before, Stevens feared President Johnson was pursuing a Reconstruction program that would readmit Confederate states to the Union without them exorcising the demon that animated secession.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • The wallet aims to solve cross-border payment challenges that have long plagued African creators.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 June 2025
  • Inside a Palm Beach County courtroom, Judge Kathleen Kroll is trying to tackle a problem that has plagued Florida schools in recent years: An alarming number of students aren’t showing up for school.
    Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2025
Noun
  • For rule-followers like me, the prankster types were a nightmare.
    Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 7 June 2025
  • Left-hander Reid Detmers, whose three-game nightmare stretch a month ago began with a game in Seattle, struck out two in a scoreless inning, including Mariners star Cal Raleigh.
    Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • Winant crystallizes this idea of crossing a indescribable threshold through her discussion and analysis of masochism, an intrinsic component of athletic practice that intertwines physical pleasure with pain.
    Jessica Simmons-Reid, Artforum, 1 June 2025
  • The primary question negotiators must settle is how to share the pain of shrinking water supplies between the Upper Basin — which includes Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah — and the Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada.
    Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 31 May 2025
Noun
  • The trauma of that day continued to reverberate in Jewish communities across the globe, recently reignited by a violent terror attack at a sister rally in Boulder, Colorado.
    Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 8 June 2025
  • The president said on X the travel ban was being introduced after a terror attack against a pro-Israel group advocating for Hamas to release Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, last weekend, allegedly by an Egyptian man who had overstayed his visa.
    Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • Leopoldo chose to be the voice of the people who elected him, and was persecuted for it.
    Imamu "Mu" Tomlinson, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
  • His parents, Marcelo Netto and Miriam Leitão, are both journalists who resisted the dictatorship and were persecuted.
    Marcelo Cajueiro, Variety, 27 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Torment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torment. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.

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