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
Adam B. Vary, Variety, 23 Apr. 2025
In The Last of Us legend, Abby tortures and murders Joel to avenge the death of her father, Jerry, the lead surgeon of the Firefly rebel militia whom Joel kills to save Ellie’s life.
—Katie Heaney, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 6 May 2025
The government wasted little time in setting up a system in which the state could do anything from seizing a person’s assets to trying them before a special court and then sending them to a concentration camp to be tortured or killed.
—Amanda Taub, New York Times, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Noun
In the Season 1 finale, written by creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy, she’s rescued by Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) after suffering through debilitating torture at the hands of the Empire.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 23 Apr. 2025
In The Last of Us legend, Abby tortures and murders Joel to avenge the death of her father, Jerry, the lead surgeon of the Firefly rebel militia whom Joel kills to save Ellie’s life.
—Katie Heaney, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
The widow of an Afghan man – whose lawyer says was tortured and killed by the Taliban after his identity was revealed in an Emmy-winning National Geographic documentary – has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the filmmakers in Los Angeles.
—Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 6 May 2025
The government wasted little time in setting up a system in which the state could do anything from seizing a person’s assets to trying them before a special court and then sending them to a concentration camp to be tortured or killed.
—Amanda Taub, New York Times, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torture
Noun
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This harrowing, 35mm-shot story of pubescent boys tormenting each other at a water polo summer camp doubles as a coming-of-age drama and an adolescent, acne-scarred body-horror nightmare.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
15 May 2025
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The reader is brought into the heart of Israel’s nightmare.—
Daniel Foster,
National Review,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
In video of the attack released by police at the time, she can be heard screaming in agony.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2025
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Dropping dramatically to the floor, Busquets writhed in agony and Motta was duly sent off.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The last five years have brought back weaknesses that plagued Kohli early in his career as a brash but fiercely talented batter.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
12 May 2025
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Flanagan boys track coach Jessica Carter said the inclement weather which plagued the meet the entire weekend and forced the postponement of the 3A meet until Saturday posed problems for her boys team.—
Gary Curreri,
Sun Sentinel,
12 May 2025
Verb
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Weekly figures by their very nature tend to be volatile, and when viewed alone could just be noise distorting the underlying trend.—
Christiaan Hetzner,
Fortune,
13 May 2025
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The idea was to first represent the optimism of America, which then dissipated into this darkness, which shifted, melted and distorted into an evil-looking clown.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
Noun
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The Best Clothing Box Photograph: Stitch Fix Stitch Fix Kids Clothes Box $16 Stitch Fix As my kids have gotten older, shopping for their clothes has become a misery.—
Adrienne So,
Wired News,
17 May 2025
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The value of the Syrian currency plummeted during the civil war years, adding to the misery.—
Raja Abdulrahim,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
Noun
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Recorded woodpecker distress calls or raptor calls can also repel the birds.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
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While capital markets are also effective pools of capital, there is a benefit to having a single entity that acts with conviction during times of distress.—
Korok Ray,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Verb
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Some of the journalists who were terminated on Thursday were from countries with repressive governments that persecute journalists for independent reporting, Mr. Abramowitz said in the email to employees on Thursday.—
Minho Kim,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
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According to tradition, Peter traveled to Rome to spread the Christian message and was martyred there during the reign of the Emperor Nero, around 64 A.D., as Christians were being persecuted.—
Vanessa Gera,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Blinded by love, Hilmi doesn’t see the torment Leyla’s new stepmother inflicts on her, turning their home into a living nightmare.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
8 May 2025
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Connors redefines his mission, which results in a personal transformation to ultimately escape the torment of a never-ending Groundhog Day.—
Michael Hicks,
Forbes.com,
7 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torture. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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