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
The Atlantic, 8 June 2026
Hunter Biden is mixing it up with admirers and critics on social media, while Jill Biden is rehashing the tortured saga of the last presidential race in a new memoir.
—ABC News, 6 June 2026
While staying faithful to the gothic tone and thrust of the story, the second book in the series once again turned the narrative in on itself by front-loading the perspective of chaos personified, Louis’ tortured and torturous lover, Lestat de Lioncourt.
—Alex Zalben, IndieWire, 3 June 2026
The track is bookended by audio of a woman who sells plasma to fund her shopping addiction, a parallel to Skeletrix’s depiction of his plight as a tortured artist.
—Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 15 May 2026
While Naverrette flawlessly plays Nikki as being possessed by a sinister spirit who’s obsessed with Bear, her performance also includes tortured outbursts as the real Nikki sporadically breaks free from her subconscious to react in horror as her friend takes advantage of the situation.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 15 May 2026
The report contains nearly 300 pages documenting mass rape, tortured families, mutilation of bodies and murder.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 14 May 2026
But it was denounced in others after a group of Iraqi artists pulled out of the show, protesting a French artist’s work that featured graphic images of tortured Abu Ghraib detainees.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 8 May 2026
Patrick McTigue, chair of the planning board, voted last and cast the deciding vote — but not before taking a long and tortured pause.
—Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026
And in today's world, with the advent of cyberbullying, thanks to every kid having a digital footprint, a child can be tortured without even seeing their bully face-to-face.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 10 June 2026
During similar unrest last year, several officers were abducted and tortured after being taken captive.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
Armand tortured and planned to drain Daniel, but Louis stepped in to save him.
—Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
The story of Alabama's congressional map is long and tortured.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 2 June 2026
One man might describe how he was tortured as a prisoner of war, or another might recall the day his brother was hauled away from their home, never to be seen again.
—Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
You’d get tortured or killed for just expressing yourself.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2026
Tursun, 36, told us that her newborn son — one of triplets — had been killed by the Chinese Communist Party and that she was tortured in internment camps.
—Michael Arkush, Twin Cities, 26 May 2026
Adjective
In a feature published today, deputy executive editor Yoni Appelbaum examines the tortured debate—inside and outside the academy—over how to tell the American story.
—The Atlantic, 8 June 2026
Hunter Biden is mixing it up with admirers and critics on social media, while Jill Biden is rehashing the tortured saga of the last presidential race in a new memoir.
—ABC News, 6 June 2026
While staying faithful to the gothic tone and thrust of the story, the second book in the series once again turned the narrative in on itself by front-loading the perspective of chaos personified, Louis’ tortured and torturous lover, Lestat de Lioncourt.
—Alex Zalben, IndieWire, 3 June 2026
The track is bookended by audio of a woman who sells plasma to fund her shopping addiction, a parallel to Skeletrix’s depiction of his plight as a tortured artist.
—Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 15 May 2026
While Naverrette flawlessly plays Nikki as being possessed by a sinister spirit who’s obsessed with Bear, her performance also includes tortured outbursts as the real Nikki sporadically breaks free from her subconscious to react in horror as her friend takes advantage of the situation.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 15 May 2026
The report contains nearly 300 pages documenting mass rape, tortured families, mutilation of bodies and murder.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 14 May 2026
But it was denounced in others after a group of Iraqi artists pulled out of the show, protesting a French artist’s work that featured graphic images of tortured Abu Ghraib detainees.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 8 May 2026
Patrick McTigue, chair of the planning board, voted last and cast the deciding vote — but not before taking a long and tortured pause.
—Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
Six men lured victims to resort then tortured them at gunpoint, FBI says.
—FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026
And in today's world, with the advent of cyberbullying, thanks to every kid having a digital footprint, a child can be tortured without even seeing their bully face-to-face.
—Sarah Scott, Parents, 10 June 2026
During similar unrest last year, several officers were abducted and tortured after being taken captive.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
Armand tortured and planned to drain Daniel, but Louis stepped in to save him.
—Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
The story of Alabama's congressional map is long and tortured.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 2 June 2026
One man might describe how he was tortured as a prisoner of war, or another might recall the day his brother was hauled away from their home, never to be seen again.
—Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
You’d get tortured or killed for just expressing yourself.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2026
Tursun, 36, told us that her newborn son — one of triplets — had been killed by the Chinese Communist Party and that she was tortured in internment camps.
—Michael Arkush, Twin Cities, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortured
Adjective
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Others were placed under house arrest, harassed or subject to extensive surveillance, or had their passports confiscated, according to prior NPR reporting and the findings of the United Nations and rights groups.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
17 May 2026
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For years, Christian clergy who live and work in Jerusalem have reported being frequently spat on, harassed and even physically attacked by Israeli extremists.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The Lieser family of Jewish industrialists was persecuted by the Nazis, including being imprisoned, and lost almost all their possessions to Nazi seizure.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
5 June 2026
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Family members and friends were persecuted, arrested, and killed.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
Verb
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During our research, what first struck us was the extent to which the clichés surrounding the great figures of Antiquity have often distorted our perception of these historical characters.—
Roberto Prieto,
Variety,
17 June 2026
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The irresponsible development and use of AI have allowed these to be hijacked and distorted, turning them into agents of harm.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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The crowd in Guadalajara grew frustrated and began booing the Mexican national team’s performance at the end of the first half.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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Experts’ pessimistic forecasts are combining with reports from frustrated jobless young people around the country to form a seasonal outlook far from bathed in sunshine.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Verb
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This past offseason was a nightmare filled with mistakes, and the season has been plagued by one injury after another.—
Jim Bowden,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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The charming little burg is plagued by a perplexing dead body problem.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Some cells were mechanically deformed to simulate incidents such as minor parking impacts.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
18 June 2026
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Habermas was well aware of how the internet had deformed his beloved public sphere.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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Projects will be judged on several criteria, including the project’s creativity and the use of tested and accurate AI.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
4 Sep. 2025
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Every batch of ice cream, even those with tested and confirmed recipes, requires a lot of tasting and adjusting.—
Maggie Hiufu Wong,
CNN Money,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Examples include assisting the blind, providing alerts of sounds to the deaf, assisting those afflicted by seizures, retrieving items, providing physical support, and helping those with psychiatric or neurological disabilities.—
Shari Wald Garrett,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
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Raspberries are also afflicted with several viruses that can cause plants to decline and ruin the fruit.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tortured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortured. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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