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
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in tormented
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tortured
Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2025
But there’s also something quite tortured about Douglas Kelly.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Swift making herself into a tortured poet trying to outdo a pretentious, typewriter-wielding ex.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
Co-starring Andrew Scott as Rodgers and Margaret Qualley as a semi-fictionalized admirer of the closeted Hart, Blue Moon promises to be a wrenching look at a complex and tortured songwriter, with stunning performances to boot.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 2 Sep. 2025
From the Enterprise, everyone watches as the Jikaru finds a peaceful end to her tortured existence.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2025
Everyone was surprised when these two got together in 2023 — the tortured poet and the football jock.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
For Tegna, the Nexstar purchase would end a rather tortured corporate journey over the last few years.
—Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Soliman fled to the United States in 2014 on a visitor visa and later filed a petition for asylum, describing how security forces over the years had locked him up on false charges and tortured him with electrical shocks.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
From another room, the mechanic hears him dragging his leg and knows deep in his bones that this is the man who tortured him in prison.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025
That’s partly because the defendants were tortured in secret CIA prisons, so there are ongoing legal fights over what evidence is admissible.
—NPR, 10 Sep. 2025
The use of El Salvador's CECOT prison was denounced by human rights groups and Democrats in Congress for its reputation as a place where prisoners were tortured and never released.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Whether a genuine Catholic sympathizer or, from the outset, a double agent, he was tortured and returned to England.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Citizens of richer countries, like South Korea, have been ensnared and tortured in Cambodia’s scam compounds, though the Cambodian National Police deny this.
—Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Ari is aimless and has made the executive decision to wean himself off his antidepressants; Sam is tortured by the prospect of going straight from college into a boring and unfulfilling career at Morgan Stanley.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
Panday plays a convincingly gruff tortured artist alongside Padda’s struggling ingenue, and most of the screen time is devoted to their pairing instead of introducing tertiary excess.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2025
But there’s also something quite tortured about Douglas Kelly.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Swift making herself into a tortured poet trying to outdo a pretentious, typewriter-wielding ex.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
Co-starring Andrew Scott as Rodgers and Margaret Qualley as a semi-fictionalized admirer of the closeted Hart, Blue Moon promises to be a wrenching look at a complex and tortured songwriter, with stunning performances to boot.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 2 Sep. 2025
From the Enterprise, everyone watches as the Jikaru finds a peaceful end to her tortured existence.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2025
Everyone was surprised when these two got together in 2023 — the tortured poet and the football jock.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
For Tegna, the Nexstar purchase would end a rather tortured corporate journey over the last few years.
—Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The number paid respects to Matthew Shepard, a gay man who was tortured and killed because of his sexuality in 1998.
—Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Soliman fled to the United States in 2014 on a visitor visa and later filed a petition for asylum, describing how security forces over the years had locked him up on false charges and tortured him with electrical shocks.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
From another room, the mechanic hears him dragging his leg and knows deep in his bones that this is the man who tortured him in prison.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025
That’s partly because the defendants were tortured in secret CIA prisons, so there are ongoing legal fights over what evidence is admissible.
—NPR, 10 Sep. 2025
The use of El Salvador's CECOT prison was denounced by human rights groups and Democrats in Congress for its reputation as a place where prisoners were tortured and never released.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Whether a genuine Catholic sympathizer or, from the outset, a double agent, he was tortured and returned to England.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Citizens of richer countries, like South Korea, have been ensnared and tortured in Cambodia’s scam compounds, though the Cambodian National Police deny this.
—Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Ari is aimless and has made the executive decision to wean himself off his antidepressants; Sam is tortured by the prospect of going straight from college into a boring and unfulfilling career at Morgan Stanley.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortured
Verb
-
More and more, people who have loyally served Putin’s system are being persecuted, mainly on the grounds of corruption.—
ANDREI KOLESNIKOV,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Molero and her husband arrived in the United States in 2003, fleeing after they were persecuted for working alongside opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Therefore a crucial work in the career of one of the greatest of filmmakers is missing—and the understanding and appreciation of her career is distorted.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
-
For decades, Black performers, writers, and producers have fought to carve out space in an industry that too often overlooked or distorted their stories.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
When governance meets Goliath For more than a decade, Biglari Holdings and Biglari himself have been plagued by accusations of mismanagement due to ballooning executive pay, stock volatility, and a licensing deal that potentially advantages Biglari personally.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
-
While economic uncertainty has plagued boardrooms this year, some businesses are not putting plans on hold.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The unmistakable signature of chilli thrips are blooms that look deformed, scorched, singed and burnt.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
-
As a result, his vocals have a kind of stately yet starry-eyed quality, giving structure to these deformed, cosmic beats from the internet abyss.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Some writers who criticized Taylor Swift reported that they and their family members had been threatened, harassed, and doxed.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Just look at poverty, violence and health and housing inequities that have long afflicted Fairhill and West Kensington, two adjacent and heavily Puerto Rican neighborhoods in North Philadelphia.—
Héctor M. Varela Rios,
The Conversation,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Griffin, who does clinical work in Long Island, New York, said his sister-in-law is in her 40s and quite wary of long COVID, the enduring, debilitating health issues that have afflicted millions of Americans who contracted the coronavirus.—
Jorge L. Ortiz,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Even an otherwise neutral comment can be contorted into a sarcastic retort, an insult or a counterattack.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Yet part of the force of it is that Michôd has not contorted Christy Martin’s life into some false arc; what was going on beneath her triumph is portrayed with a desperate and idiosyncratic honesty.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Xu said, noting that frustrated clients began moving funds to Japan, Hong Kong and Dubai instead.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Service is also a realistic story about a frustrated middle-aged former journalist and aspiring novelist idling in an ultra-low-paying job.—
Susan Coll
September 12,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tortured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortured. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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