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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in torturing
intensely or unbearably painful
a tormenting injury
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to
he was tormented by nightmares about the accident
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tormenting
Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
The self-torturing helices of thought twisting inside the young minds on the courts are no less fraught than the recursive neuroses tormenting the addicts down the hill.
—Hermione Hoby, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The Chargers largely shut them down on offense, but New England was able to cobble together three field goals and a touchdown by tight end Hunter Henry, who, in a tormenting twist, began his career with the Chargers.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Season 4 is not going to let up on tormenting Will, according to Ramon Rodriguez, the actor who plays him.
—Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Stop tormenting the boy, says Helga.
—Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
In her exhaustive chronicle, Jennings traces the long folkloric history of monk-tormenting demons.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
As in much of McGuane’s fiction, the natural environment—in this case, the vitreous Florida flats, and the angler-tormenting tarpon, permit, and bonefish that populate them—provides the foil.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
Known for his brash comedic style, the British actor seems tailor-made for the part of the bearded bully who delights in tormenting everyone around him — especially his wife.
—Jane Lacroix, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
While the dogs are now safe with foster families, Holmes faces multiple charges, including confining an animal without sufficient food or water, keeping animals in an enclosure without exercise or air, and tormenting or depriving an animal.
—Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
The self-torturing helices of thought twisting inside the young minds on the courts are no less fraught than the recursive neuroses tormenting the addicts down the hill.
—Hermione Hoby, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The Chargers largely shut them down on offense, but New England was able to cobble together three field goals and a touchdown by tight end Hunter Henry, who, in a tormenting twist, began his career with the Chargers.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Season 4 is not going to let up on tormenting Will, according to Ramon Rodriguez, the actor who plays him.
—Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Stop tormenting the boy, says Helga.
—Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
In her exhaustive chronicle, Jennings traces the long folkloric history of monk-tormenting demons.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
As in much of McGuane’s fiction, the natural environment—in this case, the vitreous Florida flats, and the angler-tormenting tarpon, permit, and bonefish that populate them—provides the foil.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
Known for his brash comedic style, the British actor seems tailor-made for the part of the bearded bully who delights in tormenting everyone around him — especially his wife.
—Jane Lacroix, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tormenting
Adjective
-
Four years later, at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, Gabrielle Daleman could only bury her face in her hands after the Canadian’s disappointing free skate, her painful reaction beamed to a global audience.—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
-
As painful as this pain deep in the heart is, the healing has already begun with all the outpouring of love, prayers, and support.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Bureau of Engineering selected Tetra Tech, a global engineering firm, to fortify and relight the stretch of road that connects downtown Los Angeles to Boyle Heights, which has essentially gone dark due to the amount of copper theft plaguing the area.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The decibel drama proved, intentionally or not, to be a deflection from the far more pressing issues plaguing the UConn men’s basketball team at the moment, despite a 24-3 record for which most any Huskies fan would have signed on the dotted line when the season began.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Said quest forces her to reexamine a revelatory affair with an RAF pilot, and consider how their engagement’s cruel ending set her on the path to a different sort of fulfillment.—
Hayley Maitland,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Government should tame the savageness of man and make life in this world more gentle, not crueler.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Vietnam was inextricably linked to a wrenching era in American history, as Blacks were being compelled to fight a war on two fronts—for equality at home and a nation’s hubris abroad.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
-
What's going on is absolutely heart-wrenching.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But so often left unsaid by Gu are the moral ambiguities that come with choosing to represent a country that has been heavily criticized by Human Rights Watch, among other watchdog groups, for denying rights of freedom of expression and for persecuting government critics.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Troops are occupying our cities and persecuting our people.—
Maria Guinnip,
Oklahoman,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
After a torturous 2025 season that featured one of the worst team pitching performances in major league history, the pitching think tank was overhauled.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
15 Feb. 2026
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Every year many Christians are arrested and imprisoned under torturous conditions for practicing their right to religious freedom, where a simple act like praying together in house-churches seems like an act of civil disobedience.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The world watched as the heavy favorite to triumph at the Milan Cortina Games sat through several agonizing minutes of dejection.—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
-
For the Iranian diaspora, this has meant an agonizing wait for news from family members, with many left feeling helpless in the face of such unthinkable atrocities.—
Emily Chan,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But the overlap with unusually frigid temperatures afflicting Florida's Space Coast and the rest of the country have turned Crew-12's launch opportunities into an intricate dance around Artemis 2.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Their bread-and-butter is comforting the most comfortable by afflicting the most afflicted.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tormenting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tormenting. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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