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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of torture
Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
After all, London is home to both Jack the Ripper and the Tower of London, where centuries worth of torture and beheadings took place.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Dahbia Benkired was convicted of raping, torturing and killing Lola Daviet, according the BBC, BFMTV and The New York Times.
—Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Noun
The use of violence and torture became systematic, according to Ukrainian investigators and victims of these abuses.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
After all, London is home to both Jack the Ripper and the Tower of London, where centuries worth of torture and beheadings took place.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
Tice disappeared in Syria two months after setting off to cover the country’s crippling civil war, sparking a 13-year mystery that has tortured his Texan family and plagued Washington’s relationship with Syria’s brutal former dictator, Bashar al-Assad.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Dahbia Benkired was convicted of raping, torturing and killing Lola Daviet, according the BBC, BFMTV and The New York Times.
—Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torture
Noun
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People who have extreme nightmares from PTSD can use NightWare, a prescription-only system that comes with a preprogrammed Apple Watch and detects if the wearer is having a nightmare.—
Nancy Walecki,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
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In the decades since, gothic nightmares like Crimson Peak and supernatural horrors like Poltergeist have risen as staples of the subgenre.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The three women waited in agony for Randolph to get home, but the suffering only got worse.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Oct. 2025
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This approaching wall of agony might understandably have stressed out Šobat.—
Sean Williams,
Outside,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Parker also faces criminal charges As school shootings continue to plague US campuses, this civil trial could serve as a roadmap for the upcoming criminal case against Parker, which itself could set a broader precedent.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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The promise of Carson Beck has given way to the regression of the turnover bug that plagued him last year at Georgia.—
Erick Smith,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Springsteen grew up alongside rock’n’roll, absorbing its origin story and waiting for the day when his ability to write a killer riff would transport him from the misery of living with a father who didn’t understand him, shut off from a world that promised so much but gave so little.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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Whether the Monster is part of Ana’s imagination or not, the scene carries a fragile, haunting power, suggesting that the only person capable of rescuing Ana from the pervasive mystery and misery of her home life belongs to the supernatural, outside the punishing borders of Franco’s Spain.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Appearing in court on Monday, Barton pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of sending a grossly offensive communication with the intention of causing distress or anxiety.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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The family is seeking damages for negligence and emotional distress.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The apology came after a sustained campaign by historians and activists who argued that the victims were persecuted for being poor, vulnerable, or simply different.—
James Frater,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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Its depictions of dancing devils and witches’ sabbaths are supposed to scare viewers straight, but writer-director Benjamin Christensen is also sympathetic towards the plight of medieval women persecuted for witchcraft.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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No matter what Robert does, he’s totally screwed.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
30 Oct. 2025
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This is an innocent guy who’s getting completely screwed, to use some legal vernacular, in terms of his career.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torture. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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