1
as in nightmare
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
it's torture for me to see you so unhappy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in agony
a state of great suffering of body or mind
spent an afternoon in torture waiting to hear whether her brother had made it home safely
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
the neighbor's dog constantly tortures our cat, barking at him and chasing him down the street
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to distort
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition
tortured her naturally straight hair into curls
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of torture
James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Human rights groups documented the torture of detainees after each crackdown.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 1 Mar. 2026
CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
Political prisoners were tortured and executed in silence.
—Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for torture
Noun
The torture took place on an elevator that had a habit of getting stuck.
—James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Human rights groups documented the torture of detainees after each crackdown.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 1 Mar. 2026
Verb
Decomposing and mutilated human remains found on a beach on the resort island of Bali belonged to a Ukrainian man kidnapped and tortured while on holiday, Indonesian police said Friday.
—CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
Political prisoners were tortured and executed in silence.
—Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for torture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torture
Noun
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The combination of weak hiring and increasing inflationary pressures arising from the war creates a nightmare for the Federal Reserve, which must decide whether to cut interest rates to help the job market or hold off to help keep a lid on prices.—
Paul Wiseman,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Johnson said the freshman was a mismatch nightmare, bullying smaller guards and utilizing his quickness against larger forwards.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Compared with all that — and the agony for the Dodgers of leaving the bases loaded in the top of the 10th — the go-ahead homer, by Smith off Shane Bieber with two outs in the top of the 11th, was almost elementary.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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But Open, Heaven also courses with youth’s great agony, the cruelty that learning to love should be inexorably followed by learning to grieve its undoing.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Gonzalez revealed weeks ago that tests on his shoulder, which has plagued him since September, showed a small tear.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
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Perched between China and India, the country of 30 million people has been plagued for decades by political instability, crippling a largely agrarian economy and worsening unemployment – structural issues compounded by rampant corruption.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The lens shift, in the vertical direction only, offers similar flexibility for adjusting the projector's height relative to the screen without tilting the projector and distorting the image.—
M. David Stone,
PC Magazine,
10 Mar. 2026
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Even if direct fighting eased soon, damaged facilities, disrupted logistics and shipping risk could keep fuel markets distorted for weeks or months.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
So many terrible things happen that the reader develops a kind of flinch, bracing for the next calamity whenever there is a brief lull in the misery.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Earlier, on the beach, João predicted that Eddy would still try something with Alesia despite the boyfriend obstacle, but the future of their dynamic rests on whether Alesia will find it in herself to put her long-distance boyfriend out of his misery and do what’s right.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The immediate physical toll of these attacks — manifesting as respiratory distress and chemical burns to the eyes and throat — may only be the precursor to a more permanent health crisis.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Mar. 2026
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After one KatyCat expressed feelings of distress on social media, the pop star showed up in their comments to send some love.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Making up between 8% to 17% of the country’s total population, Iran’s Kurdish minority has long been persecuted under the Islamic Republic.—
John Calabrese,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2026
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The agency’s leadership structure — chaired by active-duty officers loyal to Ortega — undermines its autonomy and allows the government to use financial oversight tools to persecute critics, Treasury said.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Con Ed and companies like it will continue to screw customers over so long as the system allows it.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
5 Mar. 2026
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TiMate, a Hong Kong tool company, says its new Arcos Driver was built for exactly that screw.—
Omar Kardoudi
March 05,
New Atlas,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torture. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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