1
as in agony
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
the released soldiers gave interviews trying to explain to civilians the torment that prisoners of war experience
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in distress
a state of great suffering of body or mind
was in torment for weeks after he broke up with his girlfriend
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
he was tormented by nightmares about the accident
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of torment
EW.com, 2 Sep. 2025
His icy, anguished eyes—though both are the same color—convey all the torment a misfit on Earth might feel.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 30 Aug. 2025
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2025
Another week, another young quarterback with minimal experience for Flores to torment.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torment
Noun
The harassment soon escalated into a daily campaign of psychological torment that lasted for more than a year.
—EW.com, 2 Sep. 2025
His icy, anguished eyes—though both are the same color—convey all the torment a misfit on Earth might feel.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 30 Aug. 2025
Verb
Tom’s appointees on the task force include Lizzie (Alison Oliver), a state police officer who’s regularly tormented by her fellow cops, and Aleah (Thuso Mbedu), who wins over a suspect in interrogation by sharing awful details of her past.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2025
Another week, another young quarterback with minimal experience for Flores to torment.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torment
Noun
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Safdie may have found a new way to make a sports drama, one that relies less on the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat and more on all that is contained in the ambivalent middle.—
Richard Lawson,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Lessing expresses no regret or agony at her childhood actions, or at what happens next.—
Rebecca van Laer
September 30,
Literary Hub,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Cowley has suffered financial losses, lost time, anxiety and emotional distress because of the data breach, according to the complaint.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Oct. 2025
-
With presidential elections not scheduled until at least 2027, however, Chetouane said the country is currently avoiding idiosyncratic distress.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Directed by Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang, the film follows a K-pop supergroup who must balance their lives as world-famous pop stars with their secret side hustle as demon slayers.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
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During the five-day festival of Durga Puja, entire cities transform into a sprawling, open-air art gallery where the mythological battle between the goddess and her demon is reimagined to reflect contemporary anxieties.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The rest of the cast comes with big question marks after injuries and inconsistency plagued this group last season.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Cobweb Eight-year-old Peter is plagued by a mysterious, constant tap, tap from inside his bedroom wall — a tapping that his parents insist is all in his imagination.—
Caitlin White,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Penn State’s season turns into a nightmare This is an unfathomable result for the Nittany Lions, who just eight days ago were considered national championship contenders.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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But, for the region, the two-year nightmare may finally be nearing an end.—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Sesame oil is high in antioxidants that may help decrease the risk of cancer and heart disease, along with reducing joint pain related to arthritis.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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Her pain and her grief can’t be hers alone.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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What happened next, according to first responders, Jasper's aunt Amber Rosen, churchgoers, hospital officials and family members of those impacted, is a blur of violence and terror with the pop-pop-pop of an assault weapon and thick black smoke from fire hanging in the air.—
Georgea Kovanis,
Freep.com,
5 Oct. 2025
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The suspect behind the deadly car and knife terror attack outside a synagogue in Manchester in the United Kingdom on Thursday has been identified by police as Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In Nazi Germany, transgender people were persecuted, barred from public life.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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Blasphemy accusations have been used repeatedly to persecute Christians and other religious minorities in the country.—
Sean Nelson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torment. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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