variants
also tormenter
as in tease
a person who causes repeated emotional pain, distress, or annoyance to another
shocked by the news that his chief tormentor from elementary school had written a book about the dangers of bullying
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tormentor
Jeffrey Tambor is the corrupt Mayor of Whoville and the Grinch’s lifelong tormenter, Augustus May Who, who sets his hatred of Christmas in motion.
—
Danny Horn, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Nov. 2025
Half mentor, half tormentor, Alex ruled her empire from a four-poster bed — brash, brilliant, and impossible to cross.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
The mind could wander briefly about the Giants riding a two-game winning streak into a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Eagles, equipped to knock off their tormentors who suddenly look vulnerable.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
On the Met’s stage, the writer — called, say, Jamal Khashoggi — would be sung by a heroic tenor, his tormentor by a demonic baritone.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tormentor
Danny Horn, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Nov. 2025
Half mentor, half tormentor, Alex ruled her empire from a four-poster bed — brash, brilliant, and impossible to cross.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
The mind could wander briefly about the Giants riding a two-game winning streak into a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Eagles, equipped to knock off their tormentors who suddenly look vulnerable.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
On the Met’s stage, the writer — called, say, Jamal Khashoggi — would be sung by a heroic tenor, his tormentor by a demonic baritone.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tormentor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tormentor
Noun
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As for which Bridgerton sibling takes the spotlight next, Brownell offered a tease.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
26 Feb. 2026
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Cue the footage of skaters and BMXers pulling off tricks, fencers lunging forward, a Paralympic athlete sprinting on blades, as well as a tease of some of the new events slated for LA 28, including flag football.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The film, which looks at a former political prisoner who considers violent revenge against his prison torturer, was co-written by Panahi, Mahmoudian, Nader Saeiver and Shadhmer Rastin.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Feb. 2026
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As my experience showed, a heavy reliance on physical abuse makes for proficient torturers, not skilled interrogators.—
Elizabeth Tsurkov,
The Atlantic,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Instead, the lawsuit argued, law enforcement in the area where the harasser lived should have served the papers.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Dec. 2025
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Moreover, when harassers disproportionately target women, people of color and LGBTQ officials, entire communities are systematically excluded from participation in self-governance.—
Ernestine Nettles,
Mercury News,
22 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The attacker who gunned down revelers at a bar in Austin, Texas, over the weekend appears to have posted antisemitic, anti-Christian and misogynistic posts in the year and a half leading up to the deadly shooting, according to law enforcement sources in Texas.—
Anna Schecter,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, police used license plate information that Parrish had called in before approaching Kearse to identify the attacker’s vehicle and home address, where Kearse was arrested.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Shakespeare humanizes the Elizabethan stage stereotype of the villainous Jew by giving Shylock ample reason for wanting to get back at his Christian persecutors.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
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Paul was a former persecutor of Christians who became a missionary and was later beheaded in Rome.—
Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
23 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tormentor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tormentor. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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