Synonyms of tortured

tortured 1 of 2

adjective

as in tormented

Related Words

• tormented
• harassed
• persecuted
• frustrated
• provoked
• badgered
• tested
• aggravated
• harried
• irritated
• plagued
• tried
• exasperated
• bothered
• vexed
• annoyed
• troubled
• bedeviled
• hassled
• pestered
• upset
• angry
• inconvenienced
• perturbed
• pinpricked
• disturbed
• peeved
• displeased
• distressed
• haggled
• galled
• outraged
• indignant
• infuriated
• irked
• angered
• scunnered
• irate
• narked
• inflamed
• put out
• riled
• steaming
• cross
• ireful
• sore
• mad
• irritable
• resentful
• petulant
• rankled
• fretful
• teed off
• irascible
• peevish
• bristly
• dyspeptic
• cantankerous
• testy
• roiled
• bilious
• snappish
• disapproving
• shirty
• churlish
• huffy
• snuffy
• grumpy
• piqued
• grouchy
• choleric
• crabby
• ill-humored
• touchy
• bearish
• cranky
• fussy

Dissimilar Words

• happy
• satisfied
• pleased
• content
• calm
• delighted
• serene
• tranquil
• placid
• peaceable
• pacific

tortured

2 of 2

verb

past tense of torture

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

• persecuted
• plagued
• afflicted
• tormented
• besieged
• attacked
• cursed
• agonized
• anguished
• bothered
• harrowed
• bedeviled
• troubled
• racked
• beset
• stung
• disturbed
• excruciated
• pursued
• harassed
• struck
• overwhelmed
• oppressed
• annoyed
• aggravated
• molested
• hounded
• assailed
• badgered
• irritated
• hurt
• distressed
• stabbed
• worried
• exasperated
• agitated
• dogged
• vexed
• grieved
• upset
• pestered
• stressed
• tried
• victimized
• harried
• pained
• tyrannized
• perturbed
• disquieted
• irked
• discomforted
• martyred
• riled
• bugged
• chafed
• rode
• nettled
• flustered
• grated
• crushed
• peeved
• rasped
• overpowered
• strained
• piqued
• griped
• put out
• galled
• discomposed
• pricked
• smarted
• smote
• wrung
• got
• panged
• hagrode

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• assisted
• aided
• helped
• abetted
• relieved
• delivered
• released
• comforted
• soothed
• contented
• consoled
• quieted
• reprieved
• solaced
• succored

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

• distorted
• deformed
• contorted
• screwed
• curled
• warped
• disfigured
• misshaped
• defaced
• squinched
• wound
• coiled
• wrenched
• looped
• wrung
• spiraled
• twined
• wrested
• wreathed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• straightened
• uncurled
• unbent

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tortured

Adjective

Wuthering Heights In Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte presents a world of conflicts, frictions between families, passions, and attachments—especially those of Catherine Earnshaw and the tortured Heathcliff—across an untamed landscape. — Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026

Eve resists scream-queen clichés, but Gemma’s boringly typical tortured backstory is as flat as her wan chemistry with Nick. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

In Kris’ case, that obsession was with Camp Miasma, its tortured villain Little Death, and the oversexualized victims who ended up on the other end of Little Death’s spear, terrible sequel after terrible sequel. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026

The committee is tasked with analyzing and reviewing problematic conference papers and enhancing quality screening of articles prior to publication to detect integrity issues such as plagiarism and tortured phrases. — IEEE Spectrum, 30 July 2026

This discovery stunned de Man’s colleagues and students, and was particularly traumatic for Derrida, who attempted a tortured but ultimately unconvincing reckoning with what his friend had written as a young man. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026

Bernstine brings just enough light to her tortured cop, while McNairy brings just enough anguish to his good-hearted caretaker. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 July 2026

But that's the barest of sketches regarding the long, complicated, litigious, political, tortured road that got us to today. — Adrienne Roberts, Freep.com, 24 July 2026

Natalie Portman famously saw a twisted version of herself in mirrors as part of her Oscar-winning performance as a tortured ballerina in Black Swan. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 17 July 2026

Verb

The Assad regime fell in 2024, but the bodies of Khalil’s two friends were never recovered; their families assumed that they had been tortured, killed, and buried in a mass grave. — Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

One of Nader’s grandsons, Shah Rukh, was tortured by a greedy court eunuch named Agha Muhammad to force him to reveal the location of the invaluable diamond. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026

He was brutally tortured before being assigned his painting duties. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026

Other commissions include a monument to honor Native voices, a sculpture of gospel singer and Civil Rights activist Mahalia Jackson, and a site to recognize the survivors who were tortured by the Chicago Police Department during the 1970s-1990s. — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026

Lebson and Richards ⁠denied that ​allegation, saying that Robert Gilman was held in extremely harsh conditions, tortured and injected with mind-altering drugs by guards, treatment ​that led to his transfer to the civilian hospital. — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026

Prior to Tae-ha’s arrival, Eun-sae was tortured by Sang-gil and his men. — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026

Human rights organizations have released multiple reports alleging Palestinian prisoners are mistreated, tortured and wrongfully detained in Israeli jails. — CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

Not surprisingly, playing a Mormon missionary, even one being psychologically tortured by a creepy English recluse, was not a huge stretch for Thatcher. — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 3 Aug. 2026