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

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

Rewatching it now, the series feels almost artisanal in its toughness, a time capsule from an era when TV detectives didn’t need tortured backstories or prestige-drama monologues to command the screen. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 July 2026

It’s held together beautifully by Bailey, who’s easy to root for as the tortured protagonist, and, as one half (along with her sister) of the musical duo Chloe x Halle, knows a thing or two about the musician’s plight. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 26 June 2026

Superman pops in for a couple of cute scenes along the way, while another DC side character, the alien and bounty hunter Lobo (Jason Momoa), appears as a tortured bit of universe-building. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 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

Verb

Dandara dos Santos was tortured and beaten to death by a group of twelve people, who eventually tossed her body in a wheelbarrow, shot her, and posted a video of the crime on social media. — Literary Hub, 24 July 2026

Yes, Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Black boy who was abducted, tortured and lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after a White woman accused him of making an advance toward her. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026

The case involves allegations by three men that they were tortured while imprisoned in Venezuela. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026

Lestat’s story is jarringly but effectively juxtaposed with Louis’ in a butcher shop where he’s being tortured at the hands of Armand (Assad Zaman). — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

People close to Machado were tortured and questioned about her whereabouts, and state agents ransacked El Bejucal, searching for clues. — Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

Where the film diverts from the norm lies in the unique, complicated characters and their weird, tortured even touching relationships. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 16 July 2026

Throughout the movie, Odysseus is tortured by flashbacks to that attack’s barbarism and chaos. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 15 July 2026

In 2017, Ojeda and other young dissident officers had been jailed and tortured in Venezuela. — Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 10 July 2026