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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of tormenting
Wendy Keefover, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Those mistakes neutralized some exciting attacking play from Austin FC, which spent the 90 minutes tormenting Minnesota United down the left flank.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 21 Feb. 2026
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
Verb
In another, more recent case, three Wyoming men were charged with tormenting a moose by trying to ride it.
—Wendy Keefover, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Those mistakes neutralized some exciting attacking play from Austin FC, which spent the 90 minutes tormenting Minnesota United down the left flank.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 21 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tormenting
Adjective
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Sermon, his mentor, was in the midst of a painful split-up with his creative partner, PMD.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
8 Mar. 2026
-
And, if that wasn't painful enough, your retirement savings takes a hit because the loan isn't getting paid back.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The low-pitch frustration and helplessness plaguing Ann give Constance Zimmer good material to work with.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Microsoft, down 15% this year, is the largest stock swept up in the broader sell-off plaguing the software sector.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That’s the cruel beauty of golf.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Few Iranians will mourn the demise of the cruel and murderous Ayatollah Khamenei or his cohorts, and a large segment of Iranians want the corrupt religious regime gone.—
Trudy Rubin,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
These four novels create a convincing, wrenching, kaleidoscopic picture of the range and repetitions of the most fatal kind of love; the sort of love that allows nothing else to grow around it, that eradicates all dignity; a love which, in order to be completed, must be told.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
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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
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Troops are occupying our cities and persecuting our people.—
Maria Guinnip,
Oklahoman,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The break was long and torturous for fans but clearly restorative for Styles, who lolled in the Italian countryside with Alessandro Michele, bonded with a new niece, and found himself unassumingly among the masses in the Vatican when the conclave elected Pope Leo XIV last June.—
Michelle Ruiz,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2026
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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
Adjective
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Anyone who followed that series on a weekly basis knows how agonizing those cliffhangers could be.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Mar. 2026
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That's agonizing for families who have to split up while waiting for the heart and during the weeks and months after the transplant.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The statement did not include what skin condition requiring a prescription is afflicting Trump, but causes could include eczema, an allergic reaction caused by food or medication, shingles and others.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
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The lawsuit has exposed alleged financial woes — including past-due tax returns — afflicting Martinez’s numerous businesses.—
Patrick Danner,
San Antonio Express-News,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tormenting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tormenting. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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