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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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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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
Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025
Kimberly Rachel Blakley, 39, is charged with murder, torture and child abuse in the February 2024 death of adopted her son, Cyrus Blakley.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Graciela Mochkofsky, New Yorker, 31 July 2025
The state Department of Children and Families investigated over a nine-year period the case of a child allegedly held captive and tortured in Waterbury, according to a DCF review of the case released Tuesday.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Noun
The appeal once again raises the specter of police torture that hangs over numerous Cook County post-conviction matters and spotlights the Illinois law that allowed defendants who allege police torture to potentially have another crack at litigating their criminal cases.
—Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025
Kimberly Rachel Blakley, 39, is charged with murder, torture and child abuse in the February 2024 death of adopted her son, Cyrus Blakley.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Verb
Secret detention centers were established in Buenos Aires and other cities, where thousands of (mostly) young people were tortured and murdered, their bodies disappeared.
—Graciela Mochkofsky, New Yorker, 31 July 2025
The state Department of Children and Families investigated over a nine-year period the case of a child allegedly held captive and tortured in Waterbury, according to a DCF review of the case released Tuesday.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torture
Noun
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Relocated to a coastal town under the care of her brother’s best friend, Axel Nguyen, Leah grapples with grief, haunting nightmares and a fractured sense of self.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
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There are a lot of stock viewer-goosings: Screaming ghoul faces, crawling insects, waking nightmares and other jump scares, including the sonic kind of sudden loud noises or silences.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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For many, the relationship with tequila ended in their early 20s with promises made to some dormitory deity — often made of porcelain — to end a miserable night’s agony.—
Todd Harmonson,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
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My wing-scarfing strategy was to plow through as many as possible before the agony set in, then survive the remainder without committing the day-ruining error of touching my eyes.—
Bradley Hohulin,
IndyStar,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
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No mysteries plagued Preller this summer as far as which Padres positions needed upgrades ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Aug. 2025
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Microbes could be redesigned to remediate poisonous perchlorates that plague the soil, opening the way for Eden-like gardens across expanding oases, and releasing oxygen in the process to slowly build up the atmosphere.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In The Harvard Gazette, psychiatrist Mark Epstein explained how the ego distorts reality by tying us to fear and desire, which clouds our ability to truly see what’s happening.—
Wilson Luna,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Last week, a user was even able to prompt it to deliver a profane rant against Musk and others for trying distort the reality of the Israel-Hamas war.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Nothing was achieved except more misery for the region at the hands of Hamas and its allies.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
11 Aug. 2025
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The question of whether there is hunger is different from the question of who is responsible for the misery.—
Seth Mandel,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Notably, unemployment among Black men spiked significantly from 5.2% in May to 6.9% in July, illustrating a spreading distress that often starts with the most vulnerable groups and then extends wider in the labor market.—
Aisha Nyandoro,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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The legislation also follows several studies that highlighted concerning examples of AI therapy tools overlooking, or even encouraging, signs of mental distress.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In late-night filings Thursday, the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office pushed back on recent framing by Combs’ lawyers portraying him as persecuted.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
1 Aug. 2025
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Open Doors is a global Christian charity which supports and speaks up for Christians persecuted for their faith.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
31 July 2025
Noun
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For Kent, the torment has lasted so long that well-wishers have begun to sound disingenuous.—
Carolyn Wells,
Longreads,
25 June 2025
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Rhapsody jockeys with agony, beatitude with torment.—
Matthew Gavin Frank
June 12,
Literary Hub,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torture. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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