1
as in nightmare
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
it's torture for me to see you so unhappy
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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
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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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of torture
Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2025
Joel certainly gets hit with a Good Friday level of torture.
—Noel Murray, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
The episode continues the momentum with an extended stalker-vision first-person shot, as an unseen person creeps inexorably into an unidentified home at night, eventually revealing the Empire ghoul who tortured our gal Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) last season.
—Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Noun
If the Trump regime can abduct a permanent resident of the United States and send him to a torture prison in El Salvador, without any criminal charges, no American is safe.
—Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 22 Apr. 2025
Joel certainly gets hit with a Good Friday level of torture.
—Noel Murray, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
At the conclusion of Season 1, Bix is saved by Cassian after being tortured by Imperial Security Bureau Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) to secure information.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
The episode continues the momentum with an extended stalker-vision first-person shot, as an unseen person creeps inexorably into an unidentified home at night, eventually revealing the Empire ghoul who tortured our gal Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) last season.
—Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torture
Noun
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Package delivery and unpaid toll texts have taken most of the headlines, but an even worse threat is proving a nightmare for phone users.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
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What begins as an ordinary parental milestone descends into a nightmare as a cross-border search unfolds.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Ellie is stricken with agony, her reaction almost feral.—
Noel Murray,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
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The agony of not knowing was heartbreakingly illustrated by the plight of Oscar Johnson, of St. Charles.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But the final 22 minutes of Game 5 demonstrated the same weaknesses that plagued Orlando for the entire season and throughout the playoff series.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
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But this preoccupation may have been a way to offset the general malaise that plagued her.—
Elizabeth Djinis,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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What once kept us safe can now distort intimacy, create misunderstandings and erode trust.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
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Although some in the media distort the anger directed at Rowling from trans activists, trans people, and allies, the truth is those feelings — not just anger, but betrayal and grief — are justified.—
Aja Romano,
Vox,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Kennedy described addiction as both a source of misery and a symptom of deeper pain, drawing from his own experience of trying to fill an emotional void with drugs.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
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Now, though, The Last of Us is as blinded as Ellie is by misery.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Kahle said that includes providing resources to participants for whom sharing experiences of intimate partner violence may cause trauma or mental health distress.—
Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan,
Miami Herald,
20 Apr. 2025
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Costa Rican officials have disputed reports by the country’s Ombudsman’s Office that the deportees arrived in Costa Rica in visible distress and that authorities failed to guarantee proper conditions for arriving deportees.—
Megan Janetsky,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In a video posted to his Truth Social platform in December 2023, Trump accused the FBI and DOJ of sending undercover spies to churches to persecute people of faith.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
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The statement concluded with an expression of solidarity with Christians who are persecuted.—
Chloe Breyer,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Because of this close bond, Ung said raising prices is a torment.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
21 Apr. 2025
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Seven people pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a long list of charges in the killing of Sam Nordquist, a Black transgender man who was allegedly held captive and tortured in an upstate New York hotel room for more than a month before succumbing to his torment.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC News,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torture. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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