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

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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

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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

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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

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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

In Tires, Will (Steve Gerben), the nervous and unqualified heir to an auto repair chain, attempts to turn his father’s business around despite constant torture from his cousin and now employee, Shane (Gillis). — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026 What other employer fosters acts of torture in the workplace? — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026

Verb

King seemed stranded in a faraway world, tortured by a discomfort that no amount of affection could soothe. — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026 The shape-shifting eldritch entity of mysterious origins relishes torturing children. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for torture

Recent Examples of Synonyms for torture

Noun

Anaheim’s long nightmare is over, writes columnist Gustavo Arellano.

— Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
In outline, these are elegant Bond-villain machines for faceless, leaderless, pervasive espionage and assassination, the stuff of paranoid nightmares and stochastic violence.

— Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of nightmare

Noun

Bugs Bunny jams himself against the edge and grits his teeth in agony.

— Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
The striking bronze sculpture depicts an outstretched arm reaching to the sky as hundreds of small human figures cling to it and each other with expressions of agony.

— Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of agony

Verb

Safety and crowding concerns will continue to plague the uptown jail when Jail North reopens to alleviate conditions, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden warned late Friday.

— Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 5 Sep. 2026
Jackson broke his foot last training camp when a teammate stepped on it during practice, and that injury plagued him all of 2025 and required an offseason procedure that kept him sidelined during OTAs and minicamp.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of plague

Verb

In the twenty-tens, modern investigations made clear that the work was in danger of becoming distorted by this display, which would need to be redesigned.

— John Phipps, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
However, landmasses are greatly distorted toward the poles, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere.

— Jewel Bright, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of distort

Noun

Jordan, to whom scorn comes more naturally than grace, accuses him of envying the rest of the troupe’s ennobling misery.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Some residents said hope is elusive given the island’s litany of miseries – from natural disasters to a bankrupt government to a financial control board that manages funding for infrastructure.

— Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of misery

Noun

But, in his view, the discussion of mental distress among kids ought to focus there.

— Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
The family’s attorney says Mayich struggled through a military-style practice with little rest or water, showing clear distress before collapsing.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of distress

Verb

More generally, the movie, directed by Elegance Bratton, is about the historical context of this murder, the conscious and organized effort by white Southern citizens and officials to intimidate, persecute, and subjugate Black people.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Many see Trump as the only president to defend Nigerian Christians; his administration claims they are being persecuted by Islamist groups.

— Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of persecute

Verb

Its non-towable structure means that it is transported to the site by truck and can then be installed on permanent concrete foundations or screw piles.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026
The remaining 40 with a dial of 18-karat white gold with a tantalum screw-down crown and rose gold and a screw-down rose-gold crown will be first come, first serve, according to Massena.

— Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of screw

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tortuous

torture

tortured

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“Torture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torture. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of torture

noun

verb

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