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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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 torture
Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Rights groups reported numerous instances of torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the run up to the vote.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 3 Nov. 2025
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Wuornos entered a not guilty plea and took the stand — testifying that she was assaulted, raped, and tortured by Malloy during their encounter and only shot him to get away.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Noun
The organization announced an investigation by outside law firm Omnia Strategy in January 2024 after allegations of human rights abuses, including rape and torture.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Rights groups reported numerous instances of torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the run up to the vote.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
In addition to Longo, Pope Leo elevated six other men and women to sainthood, including an Armenian archbishop tortured and killed after refusing to renounce Catholicism, a Venezuelan physician who dedicated his service to the poor and several nuns who spent decades helping the downtrodden.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Wuornos entered a not guilty plea and took the stand — testifying that she was assaulted, raped, and tortured by Malloy during their encounter and only shot him to get away.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torture
Noun
-
Fallibility is written into our genetic code, and refereeing is basically a nightmare now for everyone involved.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
But more than just a topical procedural thriller, the film also plays out like a Kafka novel about endless invasions of privacy and assumptions of malicious intent that converge to form a modern nightmare.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Following months of agony and fundraising, Abeba was eventually able to send enough money to pay for her brother Daniel’s release.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Near those boundaries, microscopic changes in pace or line flip the result, explaining why near-identical putts can alternate between agony and ecstasy.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Those three couples represent a range of partnerships, from young, recently separated parents that are hoping for a reconciliation to longterm partners intent to work through the issues that plague such unions (think power, recognition, respect, money and more).—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Quarterback Dart and running back Skattebo have been plagued by injuries during their rookie seasons, and Daboll has been unable to find consistency in his offense.—
Thomas Schlachter,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Over the summer, officials in Turkey — where the lawsuit says some of the allegedly fraudulent Drake streams originated — started investigating Spotify over several allegations, including bribes for playlist placement and bot streams distorting domestic charts.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Meanwhile, the right shoe starts with a black pigskin suede base and mixes in blurred and distorted details to represent the pixelated side.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Mamdani, 34, is a charismatic socialist who has limited experience in the private sector and seems utterly unconcerned about his guiding philosophy’s long track record of creating misery.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Beyond the outright annihilation of people and the considerable trauma that brought onto people, leftist regimes inflicted considerable misery in myriad other ways.—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Certain symptoms that signaled addictive food behavior were also more common among women, like inability to decrease intake, greater cravings and distress about their consumption.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Roughly half of all low-income countries are in or near debt distress, which can significantly exacerbate food insecurity.—
ARIF HUSAIN,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
German far-right influencer applies for asylum in US A prominent far-right German activist and influencer is seeking political asylum in the US, arguing she is being persecuted at home for her beliefs.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Langkawi, Malaysia Reuters — The number of people confirmed dead after a boat carrying members of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya community sank near the Thailand-Malaysia border rose to 11 on Monday, authorities said, with about 70 people believed to have been on board the capsized vessel.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
And, as usual, the people with the fewest resources will get screwed.—
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
-
No matter what Robert does, he’s totally screwed.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torture. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share