TORTURE Synonyms: 177 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'torture' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of torture are afflict , rack , torment , and try . While all these words mean "to inflict on a person something that is hard to bear," torture adds the implication of causing unbearable pain or suffering. // tortured by a sense of guilt

Q: When is it sensible to use 'afflict' instead of 'torture'?

While the synonyms afflict and torture are close in meaning, afflict is a general term and applies to the causing of pain or suffering or of acute annoyance, embarrassment, or any distress. // ills that afflict the elderly

Q: When would 'rack' be a good substitute for 'torture'?

The words rack and torture are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rack stresses straining or wrenching. // a body racked by pain

Q: In what contexts can 'torment' take the place of 'torture'?

The synonyms torment and torture are sometimes interchangeable, but torment suggests persecution or the repeated inflicting of suffering or annoyance. // a horse tormented by flies

Q: Where would 'try' be a reasonable alternative to 'torture'?

The meanings of try and torture largely overlap; however, try suggests imposing something that strains the powers of endurance or of self-control. // children often try their parents' patience

torture 1 of 2

noun

ˈtȯr-chər

Definition of torture

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

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

torture

2 of 2

verb

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

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

Synonym Chooser

How is the word torture different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of torture are afflict, rack, torment, and try. While all these words mean "to inflict on a person something that is hard to bear," torture adds the implication of causing unbearable pain or suffering.

tortured by a sense of guilt

When is it sensible to use afflict instead of torture?

While the synonyms afflict and torture are close in meaning, afflict is a general term and applies to the causing of pain or suffering or of acute annoyance, embarrassment, or any distress.

ills that afflict the elderly

When would rack be a good substitute for torture?

The words rack and torture are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rack stresses straining or wrenching.

a body racked by pain

In what contexts can torment take the place of torture?

The synonyms torment and torture are sometimes interchangeable, but torment suggests persecution or the repeated inflicting of suffering or annoyance.

a horse tormented by flies

Where would try be a reasonable alternative to torture?

The meanings of try and torture largely overlap; however, try suggests imposing something that strains the powers of endurance or of self-control.

children often try their parents' patience

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

Noun

Take a left on the president of the Confederacy who made the torture of Black bodies the cornerstone of his new nation. — Terry Gross, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026 In the book, Bret listens to the cassette tape of Matt’s torture and death after the body has been discovered. — Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026

Verb

During his tenure, more than a dozen teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a school wall in Daraa were arrested and tortured. — CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026 There are plenty of ways to torture myself that don't involve a waitlist. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for torture

Recent Examples of Synonyms for torture

Noun

But her kindly and supportive cop boyfriend Nick (Brandon Perea) rightly insists that the duo should perhaps move out of the house when Gemma’s habitual nightmares intensify.

— Tomris Laffly, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
As the title suggests, the film indeed opens with a dream, one that emerges from the nightmares of history.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of nightmare

Noun

Such is the ecstasy, the agony, of judgment, which was never for their benefit.

— Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2026
The man with almost no injury was writhing in agony, while the man with a four-inch nail lodged near his brain kept working for six days, not even realizing the nail was there.

— Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of agony

Verb

Poliński said Zosia would likely have been blamed for misfortunes such as disease and famine that often plagued the region in the 17th century, which people sometimes attributed to supernatural activity by the dead.

— Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Frightened that she may be plagued by the same mental illness that felled her mom, Gemma stubbornly refuses to believe anything is wrong.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of plague

Verb

Huber noted the statistic about the 150,000 annual deaths due to climate change came from a World Health Organization publication and that the edit distorted the message of the sentence.

— Jessica Meszaros, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
If someone offers $25,000 for a domain that could be worth $250,000 to the right end user, the number itself can distort the negotiation.

— Michael Gargiulo, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of distort

Noun

Elci said the uncertainty — and being taken off the air for even a day — was misery.

— Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2026
Another finds his misery exacerbated by a Christmas spent shooting a war movie opposite its star Brad Pitt’s stand-in, in a rare evocation of how impersonal blockbuster filmmaking has become.

— Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of misery

Verb

Other Eurasian emperors of the time also did not persecute occult practitioners as Ivan did in the lead-up to the second oprichnina, actions more in line with attitudes in early modern Christian Europe than those common among rulers of Asia.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Many Marranos persecuted by the Inquisition did secretly maintain a Jewish identity.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of persecute

Browse Nearby Words

tortuous

torture

tortured

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Torture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torture. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of torture

noun

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on torture

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

expeditious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes