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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
he was tormented by nightmares about the accident
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of torment
Kerry Howley, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
The real torments have been so glazed over, many poems resemble old paintings lost beneath a dozen layers of varnish.
—William Logan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 June 2025
The story follows a man who inherits his father’s auto repair shop and tries to turn it around, aided and tormented by his cousin, Shane.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for torment
Noun
This need is the source of her personal torment and also her power.
—Kerry Howley, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
The real torments have been so glazed over, many poems resemble old paintings lost beneath a dozen layers of varnish.
—William Logan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
And Soto will continue to make life difficult for the NL East as well, tormenting opposing pitchers for the next 15 years.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 11 June 2025
The story follows a man who inherits his father’s auto repair shop and tries to turn it around, aided and tormented by his cousin, Shane.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for torment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torment
Noun
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But playing with an already-strained right calf, the Oshkosh, Wis., native stepped awkwardly towards the basket and crumbled to the court in agony when his leg appeared to pop.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
24 June 2025
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Finding alternatives that would end this agony would be one of American science’s most important achievements.—
Rachel Fobar,
Vox,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
Buildings continue to fall into economic distress because of government’s housing policies.—
Alva Badillo,
New York Daily News,
29 June 2025
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In line with these ideas, researchers published findings in 2023 that showed that meditation increased people’s concern for the suffering of others—and that, by comparison, people without this practice were more oriented to their own distress.—
Mariah G. Schug,
Scientific American,
27 June 2025
Noun
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Hero Tanjiro Kamado, a boy who joined the Demon Slayer Corps after his younger sister Nezuko was transformed into a demon, finds himself and his Demon Slayer comrades inside the demons’ stronghold – the Infinity Castle, where the scene is set for the final battle between Corps and demons.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
28 June 2025
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The only survivor is his youngest sister Nezuko, who has been turned into a demon herself.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
28 June 2025
Verb
-
Pachuca’s failure plagued Salzburg as well, with the Austrian side needing a boost after things turned for the worse against Real Madrid, only to be denied – despite their social media admin’s best pleas.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
27 June 2025
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The last few projects have been plagued by delays and massive cost overruns.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
For centuries, folklore and popular wisdom have linked poor eating habits and indigestion to nightmares and restless sleep.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
1 July 2025
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None of this is meant to prompt nightmares of seventh grade civics class, raise doubts about one’s ability to pass a citizenship test, or question the arrangements for Friday’s barbeque.—
Michael Peregrine,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Noun
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However, not everyone is empathetic enough to understand that this pain is ongoing.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
7 July 2025
-
Our lives in Iran, our pain, are different from the ‘official’ version.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
7 July 2025
Noun
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The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are concerned about the potential for copycat attacks from the New Orleans terror attack on New Year's Day, as well as homegrown extremists.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
1 July 2025
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Prosecutors are adding new first-degree murder charges to those already faced by terror suspect, who remains jailed.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
1 July 2025
Verb
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There may be no animal that has been more revered and reviled, romanticized and persecuted, adopted and murdered than the coyote.—
Helen Whybrow
July 7,
Literary Hub,
7 July 2025
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Asylum seekers must prove their government is persecuting them or that they're being persecuted by someone who the government is unable or unwilling to stop.—
Victoria Moorwood,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torment. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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