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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of tortured
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
According to Deadline, Charli will be possessed by a violent, tortured spirit in director Takashi Miike’s upcoming untitled slasher-horror film that is scheduled to start filming in Japan next month; the role was previously reported, but the details about the plot are new.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2026
One of the mansion’s signature characters is, aptly, a tortured bride.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Trapped there, Goggins manifests both versions of his character at once, flickering between flashbacks of the steady Cooper and the present-day, tortured Ghoul.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
For the first time in their tortured history, the Mariners had a chance to avoid a losing record.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Over the years, Tatarsky has expanded the performance into a series of existential vignettes, introducing additional tortured artists who each confront the anxieties and absurdities of life in ways that feel both deeply personal and universally relatable.
—Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
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
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
Arushi Jacob, Variety, 31 Jan. 2026
All of this makes the job of being an informed citizen just tortured.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
Attorneys claim Laureano-Rosales is no longer a part of MS-13 or the Mexican Mafia, and was not deported under the Biden administration due to fears he would be tortured or killed if sent back to El Salvador or Mexico.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
In 1980, the shah admitted to mistakes, including acknowledging that his regime had tortured Iranians.
—Eric Lob, The Conversation, 23 Jan. 2026
Yet even her darkest visions pale compared to the reality in Iran today, where women are jailed, tortured and executed simply for speaking out, and entire communities live under constant fear.
—Maryam Lieberman, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
When being tortured, name names.
—Keith McNally, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Compared with the eight million Venezuelans who had fled the country, the nearly twenty thousand who had been detained for political reasons, the thousands who had been extrajudicially executed, and the hundreds who had been tortured, the deaths of a few dozen people seemed of little significance.
—Oriana Van Praag, New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2026
Concha said he was abducted and tortured by cartel members in 2014 after he was deported to Mexico.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
The show, which was previously called Maud and has rolled cameras in London, is based on the short story collections by Swedish writer Helene Tursten and follows Maud Oldcastle, an old killer with a tortured past.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
According to Deadline, Charli will be possessed by a violent, tortured spirit in director Takashi Miike’s upcoming untitled slasher-horror film that is scheduled to start filming in Japan next month; the role was previously reported, but the details about the plot are new.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2026
One of the mansion’s signature characters is, aptly, a tortured bride.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Trapped there, Goggins manifests both versions of his character at once, flickering between flashbacks of the steady Cooper and the present-day, tortured Ghoul.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
For the first time in their tortured history, the Mariners had a chance to avoid a losing record.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Over the years, Tatarsky has expanded the performance into a series of existential vignettes, introducing additional tortured artists who each confront the anxieties and absurdities of life in ways that feel both deeply personal and universally relatable.
—Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
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
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
Verb
Now it’s finally tortured artist Benedict Bridgerton’s (Luke Thompson) turn.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 31 Jan. 2026
All of this makes the job of being an informed citizen just tortured.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
Attorneys claim Laureano-Rosales is no longer a part of MS-13 or the Mexican Mafia, and was not deported under the Biden administration due to fears he would be tortured or killed if sent back to El Salvador or Mexico.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
In 1980, the shah admitted to mistakes, including acknowledging that his regime had tortured Iranians.
—Eric Lob, The Conversation, 23 Jan. 2026
Yet even her darkest visions pale compared to the reality in Iran today, where women are jailed, tortured and executed simply for speaking out, and entire communities live under constant fear.
—Maryam Lieberman, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
When being tortured, name names.
—Keith McNally, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Compared with the eight million Venezuelans who had fled the country, the nearly twenty thousand who had been detained for political reasons, the thousands who had been extrajudicially executed, and the hundreds who had been tortured, the deaths of a few dozen people seemed of little significance.
—Oriana Van Praag, New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2026
Concha said he was abducted and tortured by cartel members in 2014 after he was deported to Mexico.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortured
Verb
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The Secret Agent’s primary setting is a house full of misfits and refugees in the northeastern city of Recife, a safe harbor from those persecuted by the country’s military regime, ruled over by the inimitable Dona Sebastiana (Tânia Maria, whose role was written specifically for her).—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Trump has promised to help rescue the country’s persecuted protesters as thousands died.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Likewise, Guy Wolf, global head of market analytics at global financial services platform Marex, signaled that the price action in parts of the precious-metals complex has become increasingly distorted.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Particularly, as the virus of antisemitism spreads across the globe, the very meaning of the word antisemitism is being debated, diluted, and distorted.—
Marc Schneier,
New York Daily News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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When teachers became the complaint Several cases described teachers discussing their own political views on the latest Israel-Hamas war in ways that state investigators said foreseeably made Jewish students feel uncomfortable, harassed or targeted.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The Broncos beat up, bruised, harassed and downright punished Herbert from the start.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Staffing shortages have plagued the grocery industry since the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Francesca Pica,
jsonline.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Exploding power lines evoked the electrical outages that have plagued Puerto Rico in recent years.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 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
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Erica Moore, 46, who spent 11 nights in a hotel with her dog and two cats, said she was most frustrated by the poor communication from Nashville Electric Service.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
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Still, the optics are deeply damaging for an already frustrated king and the Prince of Wales, multiple royal experts told Fox News Digital.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Embarrassment could have been a factor in the rash decision, but Trump is not a man who appears to be afflicted by that particular emotion, which takes its cue from a certain amount of self-awareness and humility.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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Thus, taxpayers are often stuck financing underperforming government programs riddled with waste and outright fraud, as was the case in the recent $30 billion scandal that afflicted the state’s unemployment insurance program.—
Lanhee J. Chen,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For the entire 15-minute show, they’ve been contorted into pieces of furniture Lawson fabricated, pieces befitting something between an asylum and BDSM dungeon, and reminiscent of Allen Jones’s 1960s Pop sculpture series, which depicts fiberglass women in fetishware as home objects.—
Anna Peele,
Vanity Fair,
6 Feb. 2026
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In 2025, there was the Owl Arm Trend, in which Gen Z TikTokers contorted their bodies (and stretched their T-shirts) to mimic the shape of a perching owl, clinging to their friend’s arm.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tortured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortured. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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