tormenting 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally it was a tormenting moment as they helplessly watched the other team score in the final seconds of the game

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in torturing
intensely or unbearably painful a tormenting injury

Synonyms & Similar Words

tormenting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of torment
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to he was tormented by nightmares about the accident

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 tormenting
Verb
After several hours of tormenting Machado, Sierra placed his leg on her chest to keep her from moving and wrapped a yellow Sedano’s Supermarket plastic bag over her face. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026 This shift from just hating and tormenting Mozart, and expanding that rage against God and his own mediocrity is what makes this play so profound and distinctive. — Doni Wilson, Houston Chronicle, 30 Sep. 2026 The migraine tormenting the 32-year-old in April was even worse than usual. — Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2026 Aside from tormenting the sole out transgender member of Congress by waging a campaign to bar her from using the women’s bathroom in the Capitol, Mace had been a side player that year. — Annie Karni, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026 The final scene shows the Bowden family grilling in that same backyard on a sunny day, seemingly happy with Max no longer tormenting them. — Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026 Picture LeBron in his advanced age tormenting the Knicks one more time, denying them a two-peat, before beating the Spurs or Thunder in the finals. — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 30 July 2026 Aemond raves about his horrible older brother who spent their youth tormenting him. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026 But your dad doesn’t need to be a celeb to enjoy the simple pleasures of tormenting him. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 9 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tormenting
  1. painful
  2. wrenching
  3. plaguing
  4. cruel
  5. torturous
  6. persecuting
  7. harsh
  8. agonizing
Adjective
  • The heartwarming film takes us on a ride through archive and new footage and rehearsals and re-enactments of Happy Gays that bring up happy but also painful memories, along with a different side of the at times curmudgeonly Jolanda.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026
  • For the third time in two seasons, Sam is forced to sever a relationship, and this one may be the most painful, the most cruel, because in killing Jerry, Sam is destroying potential.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of painful
Adjective
  • Richard Ables guided families through one of life’s most wrenching rituals at the historic Hall Brothers Funeral Home.
    — Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2026
  • After a quiet episode focused on Hal Jordan’s passing, Lanterns’s penultimate chapter deepens the mystery in surprising and wrenching ways.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of wrenching
Verb
  • Gallagher has also sought to tie McGuire to cost-of-living problems plaguing Californians, such as the price of gasoline and housing.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Raman zeroed in on the issue of soaring electrical bills and the string of problems plaguing LAX’s elevated rail project.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of plaguing
Adjective
  • People talking to an AI in an abusive and cruel way are more likely to be associated with trying to get the AI model to engage in dangerous requests, like trying to get around an AI’s safety guardrails, Campbell added.
    — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
  • From the very start, the students assigned as guards went on cruel power trips and repeatedly humiliated — if not psychologically tortured — the inmates, to the point that some of the prisoners suffered nervous breakdowns.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • But genuinely funny moments are rare, badly outnumbered by done-to-death musings regarding the mysteries of being alive and torturous melodramatic moments in which Klara dully absorbs the severity of Josie’s illness and Chrissy’s sorrow.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The visits come as Republicans are gearing up for a potentially torturous election cycle amid broad voter dissatisfaction on a slew of issues, including the economy, war with Iran and Trump himself.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of torturous
Verb
  • Biden weaponized Law Enforcement against his political opponent, while also persecuting many other innocent people.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 11 June 2026
  • Jack Hayford, the founder of the King’s University, in Texas, claimed that the film was persecuting Christians, who only wanted to be treated equally.
    — Isaac Butler, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
Definition of persecuting
Adjective
  • However, perovskites are notoriously vulnerable to moisture and harsh chemical environments, posing a clear problem in seawater.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026
  • With another harsh winter approaching, those still there face death from hunger or disease.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of harsh
Adjective
  • And while digital boards are fun to look at and can hook new audiences, an unexpected pause for buffering displays can be agonizing as the counts keep coming in.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Now Reina faces the agonizing choice of betraying her mentor or turning her back on thousands of working-class families who stand to lose everything.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of agonizing

Browse Nearby Words

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tormenting
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Cite this Entry

“Tormenting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tormenting. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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