1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Of the many thoughts tormenting Víctor Eduardo is how Julio died. — Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 11 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 Rumor has it that Steve Spurrier could be the favorite, which would be hilarious given Spurrier's history of tormenting the Vols. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026 But the man hung himself, most likely due to Duncan tormenting him relentlessly like a jock pranking a nerd in an ‘80s campus comedy. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tormenting
  1. painful
  2. wrenching
  3. plaguing
  4. cruel
  5. torturous
  6. persecuting
  7. harsh
  8. agonizing
Adjective
  • Bringing together the private shattering of a home with the epic tale of homecoming offers Gluck a distanced, often ironic, stance on her life’s most painful moments.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Veterinarians diagnosed Cheeto with feline idiopathic cystitis, which causes a painful inflammation of the bladder.
    — Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of painful
Adjective
  • The emotionally wrenching case, marked by excruciating testimony and Clancy’s paralysis after a suicide attempt, has intensified scrutiny of maternal mental health and Massachusetts’ standard for criminal responsibility.
    — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Prosecutors plan to seek a two-year extension at an April hearing, and the families of both victims delivered wrenching impact statements in court.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of wrenching
Verb
  • But to Molland, many of their struggles aren’t that different from those plaguing modern couples.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
  • In The Book of Magic, Franny Owens sacrifices her life to finally break the 300-year-old ancestral love curse plaguing their family.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of plaguing
Adjective
  • Like her, Americans are also so tired of being screwed by an administration that’s not only grossly incompetent and cruel but corrupt as well.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Rather than heroic, these costly and horribly uncertain stunts come across callous and cruel.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • In a wartorn country where air travel is too perilous to even consider, the roads are the obvious option, but are jammed, precarious, and cursed with long, torturous border queues.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Legal experts say those costs reflect the challenges that corrections officials face in finding help with carrying out lethal injections, which can subject prisoners to torturous levels of pain.
    — Max Blau, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 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
  • The video, and Ovechkin’s subsequent statements, have sparked harsh criticism in Europe, the United States and Canada, which is part of the NHL.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Beyond biological and nuclear threats, AI companies face harsh organizational incentives to develop AI even faster and — experts say — more recklessly.
    — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of harsh
Adjective
  • Of course, Kiffin left, a bitter and acrimonious separation that played out over 14 agonizing days, just as the Rebels prepped for their first College Football Playoff game in history.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The brazen and agonizing theft of 88 million euros ($102 million) worth of crown jewels from display cases in the Louvre's Apollo gallery served as a wake-up call.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of agonizing

Browse Nearby Words

tormented
tormenting
tormentor
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tormenting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tormenting. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of volition

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All