as in tormented
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 tortured
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
Henshall is a hoot as the tortured inspector, though the series has recently taken on a new dimension with the addition of Ashley Jensen (so brilliant in Ricky Gervais’ Hollywood satire, Extras) as the formidable DI Ruth Calder.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026
Look, credit where credit is due, the man is good at a tortured love confession!
—Christina Grace Tucker, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
During the show’s wildly popular first season, Robby was treated as a swaggering, tortured heartthrob by the viewers who turned this HBO Max original into an Emmy-winning success.
—Esther Zuckerman, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Fennell cast Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff and Margot Robbie plays Cathy in this tale of childhood friends turned tortured lovers, kept apart by heartbreaking misunderstandings and their own destructive decisions.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 14 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
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2026
But Saleh has carved out a unique place for himself as an avatar for restrained, tortured, and resilient Arab male dignity.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Dissidents were abducted and taken to clandestine detention centers, where they were tortured and held in inhumane conditions.
—Débora Rey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
In response, the regime killed dozens, and arrested and tortured many more.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Dissidents were abducted and taken to clandestine detention centers, where they were tortured and held in inhumane conditions.
—ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
There, he was tortured and executed.
—Christina Hioureas, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2026
Israel knows women and babies were tortured, burned and posed in inhuman ways for one reason — to frighten.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
Other leaders were tortured, and a couple sent to prison.
—Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The getaway spirals into terror when Katie (Charli xcx) becomes possessed by a violent, tortured spirit (Mizuhara), unleashing a nightmare steeped in Japanese horror tradition.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
Henshall is a hoot as the tortured inspector, though the series has recently taken on a new dimension with the addition of Ashley Jensen (so brilliant in Ricky Gervais’ Hollywood satire, Extras) as the formidable DI Ruth Calder.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026
Look, credit where credit is due, the man is good at a tortured love confession!
—Christina Grace Tucker, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
During the show’s wildly popular first season, Robby was treated as a swaggering, tortured heartthrob by the viewers who turned this HBO Max original into an Emmy-winning success.
—Esther Zuckerman, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Fennell cast Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff and Margot Robbie plays Cathy in this tale of childhood friends turned tortured lovers, kept apart by heartbreaking misunderstandings and their own destructive decisions.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 14 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
Verb
The Aquarion sale has had a long and tortured regulatory history, having been first proposed during a bitter, years-long standoff between the utility industry and former PURA Chairman Marissa Gillett.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2026
But Saleh has carved out a unique place for himself as an avatar for restrained, tortured, and resilient Arab male dignity.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Dissidents were abducted and taken to clandestine detention centers, where they were tortured and held in inhumane conditions.
—Débora Rey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
In response, the regime killed dozens, and arrested and tortured many more.
—Azadeh Moaveni, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Dissidents were abducted and taken to clandestine detention centers, where they were tortured and held in inhumane conditions.
—ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
There, he was tortured and executed.
—Christina Hioureas, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2026
Israel knows women and babies were tortured, burned and posed in inhuman ways for one reason — to frighten.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
Other leaders were tortured, and a couple sent to prison.
—Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortured
Verb
-
An immigration judge has previously found that she would be persecuted by the Israeli government if she was removed there.—
Kristie Keleshian,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Some had been granted the opportunity to stay after proving to immigration judges that they would probably be persecuted if returned to their homeland.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Ogalla said she was targeted by six mailings from Gallagher’s campaign that distorted her voting record, especially on property taxes and her efforts to reduce truck traffic.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
-
In his weekly newsletter, Johnson outlined his most detailed case yet for studying whether Dallas should move City Hall, saying speculation and sensational coverage have distorted the debate.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In past times of tension and conflict, Iran has at times harassed shipping though the narrows, and during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, both sides attacked tankers and other vessels, using naval mines to completely shut down traffic at points.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
In past times of tension and conflict, Iran has at times harassed shipping though the narrows, and during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, both sides attacked tankers and other vessels, using naval mines to completely shut down traffic at points.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Demary’s mere appearance in uniform provided a spark, a lightening of the burden for his teammates, who’d been mired in a shooting slump and plagued by turnovers.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
23 Mar. 2026
-
She was plagued with all manner of rashes, sores and ulcers.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The mountains themselves are too deformed to hold hydrocarbons.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Hadi tells an engaging story, brings complex and surprising characters to life, lends a locale an aesthetic iconography, and renders personal identity inextricable from the forces of history that shaped or deformed it.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Workers across the nation have called out sick, partially out of protest and also to come up with other ways to make money, that have resulted in long security lines and frustrated passengers.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
-
One of them is slapped on the field by a frustrated boy.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The outcome will likely transform the already heated debate over social media addiction as a concept, what role apps may play in engineering it, and whether individuals like Kaley can prove they’re afflicted.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The disease afflicted homosexuals, Haitians, haemophiliacs and heroin addicts.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Egon Schiele’s show at the Neue Galerie suggests that the artist’s raw, contorted depictions of the body were influenced by a formative relationship with a doctor.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
New Yorker,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Cross-country skiing is known for its attrition, an event that leaves its competitors foam-mouthed and slack-jawed; athletes of iron reduced to trembling and contorted shapes on the floor.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tortured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortured. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
