as in tormented
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1
as in persecuted
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
2
as in distorted
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition
tortured her naturally straight hair into curls
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Recent Examples of tortured
Emma Specter, Vogue, 25 Dec. 2025
Travis Kelce is a poet — but certainly not a tortured one.
—Denise Warner, Billboard, 23 Dec. 2025
Survivor’s tribal councils of late have been awfully fond of Probst and the players indulging in tortured metaphors about the game, so Coach at least appears ready to engage with the current Survivor Zeitgeist.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
But there is psychology to be explored there beneath all that journeyman genius, and Greiving knows how to get at it, even if his subject is in most ways the opposite of a tortured or oft-thwarted soul like a Bernard Herrmann.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 16 Dec. 2025
He still feels caught in the tortured relations between the two Asian neighbors, between which tensions still simmer over Japan's brutal colonial rule.
—New York Times, 13 Dec. 2025
As such, the moon will appear particularly spectacular through the eyepiece of a backyard telescope with an aperture of around 6-inches, which will reveal stunning detail in the tortured surface of Earth's ancient companion.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 29 Nov. 2025
The film is a more quiet, wintry contemplation and tortured soul-searching.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
The film is a more quiet, wintry contemplation and tortured soul-searching.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Bukele has disregarded due process and repealed term limits in El Salvador; according to Human Rights Watch, prisoners at CECOT are routinely tortured.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
In Chechnya, a region in southern Russia with a predominantly Muslim population, authorities launched an open hunt for gay men—police rounded them up and tortured many of them, with some being killed.
—Mikhail Zygar, Vanity Fair, 7 Jan. 2026
Any show where characters are regularly shot, kidnapped, and/or tortured needs a touch of comedy, and that’s where German bounty hunter Randy comes in.
—Tanya Melendez, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Former hostage negotiator Roger Carstens told us that Maduro held and tortured Americans who had been arrested for minor offenses.
—Scott Pelley, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
The dictator who imprisoned and tortured Venezuelan politicians, activists, and ordinary people was snatched from his bed and put on an American plane with his wife, Cilia Flores.
—Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
During their time together, Ruby and Hildebrandt allegedly punished and tortured her two youngest children.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
The attorneys for the Department of Justice argued that the preliminary injunction blocking Abrego Garcia’s removal to Liberia should be dissolved because the government received assurances from the government of the West African country that he will not be persecuted or tortured.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Harge Aird in Carol (2015) God forbid two closeted lesbians have a little fun (okay, emotionally tortured and clandestine fun, but still) without some man coming along to ruin it!
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 25 Dec. 2025
Travis Kelce is a poet — but certainly not a tortured one.
—Denise Warner, Billboard, 23 Dec. 2025
Survivor’s tribal councils of late have been awfully fond of Probst and the players indulging in tortured metaphors about the game, so Coach at least appears ready to engage with the current Survivor Zeitgeist.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
But there is psychology to be explored there beneath all that journeyman genius, and Greiving knows how to get at it, even if his subject is in most ways the opposite of a tortured or oft-thwarted soul like a Bernard Herrmann.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 16 Dec. 2025
He still feels caught in the tortured relations between the two Asian neighbors, between which tensions still simmer over Japan's brutal colonial rule.
—New York Times, 13 Dec. 2025
As such, the moon will appear particularly spectacular through the eyepiece of a backyard telescope with an aperture of around 6-inches, which will reveal stunning detail in the tortured surface of Earth's ancient companion.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 29 Nov. 2025
The film is a more quiet, wintry contemplation and tortured soul-searching.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
The film is a more quiet, wintry contemplation and tortured soul-searching.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
The Golden Globes have a history as convoluted and tortured as the ceremony is glitzy and wasted.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Bukele has disregarded due process and repealed term limits in El Salvador; according to Human Rights Watch, prisoners at CECOT are routinely tortured.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
In Chechnya, a region in southern Russia with a predominantly Muslim population, authorities launched an open hunt for gay men—police rounded them up and tortured many of them, with some being killed.
—Mikhail Zygar, Vanity Fair, 7 Jan. 2026
Any show where characters are regularly shot, kidnapped, and/or tortured needs a touch of comedy, and that’s where German bounty hunter Randy comes in.
—Tanya Melendez, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Former hostage negotiator Roger Carstens told us that Maduro held and tortured Americans who had been arrested for minor offenses.
—Scott Pelley, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
The dictator who imprisoned and tortured Venezuelan politicians, activists, and ordinary people was snatched from his bed and put on an American plane with his wife, Cilia Flores.
—Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
During their time together, Ruby and Hildebrandt allegedly punished and tortured her two youngest children.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
The attorneys for the Department of Justice argued that the preliminary injunction blocking Abrego Garcia’s removal to Liberia should be dissolved because the government received assurances from the government of the West African country that he will not be persecuted or tortured.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortured
Verb
-
Open Doors is a global Christian charity supporting Christians persecuted for their faith.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
28 Dec. 2025
-
Most commonly, people felt they were being persecuted via their electronics – that their Wi-Fi networks, computers or cellphones had been hacked or implanted with tracking devices.—
Alaina Vandervoort Burns,
The Conversation,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Here’s everything to know about her mental health history and the religious influence that allegedly distorted her beliefs.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
-
However, the government shutdown, which halted data collection, may have distorted the results.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The Broncos beat up, bruised, harassed and downright punished Herbert from the start.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Some writers who criticized Taylor Swift reported that they and their family members had been threatened, harassed, and doxed.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But the hospital has been plagued by security issues in the last few years, and a contract dispute with the nurses’ union.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Commentary and opinions Tim Walz isn’t the only governor plagued by fraud.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
American bases built inside the ice sheet, such as Camp Century, were quickly crushed as the encasing snow deformed.—
Paul Bierman,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
-
One of those difficulties was figuring out how to square the minimal and highly refined designs of Mies and Johnson with the raw and sometimes deformed materials salvaged from RedBird.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The Eagles’ inconsistency is all about their offense, which retains the talent that won the Super Bowl last year, but has frustrated fans for most of the season.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
-
One late-night scene between Agnes and Will is hard to watch, dramatizing the profound distance between her earthbound herbalist mother and his drunk and frustrated writer.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Support for Bass is more mixed, with her current record containing many more failures than have afflicted either Lurie or any other recent Los Angeles mayor.—
Thomas D. Elias,
Oc Register,
8 Jan. 2026
-
In most cases, the faithful afflicted by the evil one need only a comfortable chair (better if equipped with armrests) to accompany the exorcistic celebration.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Their necks contorted slightly and smiles spread across their faces as the high-definition videos started and their journeys commenced.—
Haven Daley,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Mikomi sees images generated by Grok of her wearing specific fetish outfits, or her body contorted or placed in strange contexts.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tortured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortured. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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