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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
ArsTechnica, 14 June 2025
Alex Gibney is known for exposés about Enron, CIA torture tactics and the cult of Scientology.
—Matthew Jacobs, HollywoodReporter, 14 June 2025
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025
There, monkeys are tortured by a local subcontractor—sometimes a child—working to Western specs.
—ArsTechnica, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Noun
The 39-year-old was apparently caught after US authorities broke up another monkey torturing network based around outsourcing the torture to Indonesia.
—ArsTechnica, 14 June 2025
Alex Gibney is known for exposés about Enron, CIA torture tactics and the cult of Scientology.
—Matthew Jacobs, HollywoodReporter, 14 June 2025
Verb
The former mayor of a small rural village in Haiti, accused of torturing and killing opponents in his homeland, was sentenced Friday in a Massachusetts federal court to nine years in prison for lying about the atrocities in order to obtain a U.S. green card.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025
There, monkeys are tortured by a local subcontractor—sometimes a child—working to Western specs.
—ArsTechnica, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for torture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torture
Noun
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None of this is meant to prompt nightmares of seventh grade civics class, raise doubts about one’s ability to pass a citizenship test, or question the arrangements for Friday’s barbeque.—
Michael Peregrine,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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For centuries, folklore and popular wisdom have linked poor eating habits and indigestion to nightmares and restless sleep.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
1 July 2025
Noun
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But playing with an already-strained right calf, the Oshkosh, Wis., native stepped awkwardly towards the basket and crumbled to the court in agony when his leg appeared to pop.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
24 June 2025
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Finding alternatives that would end this agony would be one of American science’s most important achievements.—
Rachel Fobar,
Vox,
14 May 2025
Verb
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The last few projects have been plagued by delays and massive cost overruns.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 June 2025
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Pachuca’s failure plagued Salzburg as well, with the Austrian side needing a boost after things turned for the worse against Real Madrid, only to be denied – despite their social media admin’s best pleas.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
27 June 2025
Verb
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However, the same technologies that can immortalize could also distort and manipulate reality.—
Sahar Hashmi,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
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Donovan continued that social media also distorts wealth.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
29 June 2025
Noun
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Humidity is adding to the misery Oppressive humidity is accompanying the heat wave, according to Weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Erdman.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
25 June 2025
-
Cuomo, age 67 and one of the last powerful men to succumb to the #MeToo movement, is an unlikely standard-bearer for a Democratic Party desperate to move on from the miseries of the past decade, but New York politics isn’t famous for its uncomplicated options.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
Buildings continue to fall into economic distress because of government’s housing policies.—
Alva Badillo,
New York Daily News,
29 June 2025
-
In line with these ideas, researchers published findings in 2023 that showed that meditation increased people’s concern for the suffering of others—and that, by comparison, people without this practice were more oriented to their own distress.—
Mariah G. Schug,
Scientific American,
27 June 2025
Verb
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With his penchant for menacing models, black-out contact lenses and jutting shoulders, Owens is also a forever torchbearer for different kinds of beauty, and a safe haven for people who feel persecuted for being outside the norm.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
25 June 2025
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The regimes that persecute religious minorities are also the ones that oppress women, LGBTQ people, journalists, and dissidents.—
Nuri Kino,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
Noun
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District loses appeal, must pay $1 million for El Segundo middle schooler’s year of torment.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2025
-
Aside from Howard Hughes, Enzo Ferrari was Mann’s white whale: a fastidious man who was excellent at his job and attempted to bury—yet was consumed by—overwhelming emotional torment.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torture. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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