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
Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
As a result, many legends are connected to its violent past, and its dungeon, in particular, is said to be haunted by tortured souls.
—Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 22 Oct. 2025
The film is a more quiet, wintry contemplation and tortured soul-searching.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
Frankenstein's monster is a tortured fellow who's not a big fan of flames.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Despite appearances to the contrary—the swirling sentences, the feverish intellection—there is nothing hermetic about Krasznahorkai’s work, both old and new, which squarely faces contemporary European reality and its perils, including the tortured dynamics of settlement, movement, and identity.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2025
From early on, the tortured family dynamic becomes clear, explaining Nessa’s reasons for turning to Ray for help.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2025
The push to impose regional taxes in the Bay Area has a tortured history.
—Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025
Isaacs plays Timothy, the tortured patriarch of the Ratliff family, on season 3 of The White Lotus.
—Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Maloyan served as Archbishop of Mardin from 1911 to 1915 and was tortured and killed after refusing to convert to Islam.
—Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
In addition to Longo, Pope Leo elevated six other men and women to sainthood, including an Armenian archbishop tortured and killed after refusing to renounce Catholicism, a Venezuelan physician who dedicated his service to the poor and several nuns who spent decades helping the downtrodden.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Wuornos entered a not guilty plea and took the stand — testifying that she was assaulted, raped, and tortured by Malloy during their encounter and only shot him to get away.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
Tice disappeared in Syria two months after setting off to cover the country’s crippling civil war, sparking a 13-year mystery that has tortured his Texan family and plagued Washington’s relationship with Syria’s brutal former dictator, Bashar al-Assad.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Another 11 suspected Tren de Aragua members were hit with multiple felony charges in December after a couple living in the now-shuttered Edge of Lowry apartments was kidnapped and tortured.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 25 Oct. 2025
Khaled was briefly transferred to Ofer Prison, where Adnan al-Bursh, an orthopedic surgeon who once led Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, had died in 2024, after being tortured.
—Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Over five years, the couple allegedly tortured her and embezzled her money, per prosecutors.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
The film is a more quiet, wintry contemplation and tortured soul-searching.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
As a result, many legends are connected to its violent past, and its dungeon, in particular, is said to be haunted by tortured souls.
—Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 22 Oct. 2025
The film is a more quiet, wintry contemplation and tortured soul-searching.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
Frankenstein's monster is a tortured fellow who's not a big fan of flames.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Despite appearances to the contrary—the swirling sentences, the feverish intellection—there is nothing hermetic about Krasznahorkai’s work, both old and new, which squarely faces contemporary European reality and its perils, including the tortured dynamics of settlement, movement, and identity.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2025
From early on, the tortured family dynamic becomes clear, explaining Nessa’s reasons for turning to Ray for help.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2025
The push to impose regional taxes in the Bay Area has a tortured history.
—Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025
Isaacs plays Timothy, the tortured patriarch of the Ratliff family, on season 3 of The White Lotus.
—Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
Combined with the numbers injured, detained or tortured, at least one percent of the Strip’s population suffered first-hand from Israeli violence during the first occupation.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Maloyan served as Archbishop of Mardin from 1911 to 1915 and was tortured and killed after refusing to convert to Islam.
—Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
In addition to Longo, Pope Leo elevated six other men and women to sainthood, including an Armenian archbishop tortured and killed after refusing to renounce Catholicism, a Venezuelan physician who dedicated his service to the poor and several nuns who spent decades helping the downtrodden.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Wuornos entered a not guilty plea and took the stand — testifying that she was assaulted, raped, and tortured by Malloy during their encounter and only shot him to get away.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
Tice disappeared in Syria two months after setting off to cover the country’s crippling civil war, sparking a 13-year mystery that has tortured his Texan family and plagued Washington’s relationship with Syria’s brutal former dictator, Bashar al-Assad.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
Another 11 suspected Tren de Aragua members were hit with multiple felony charges in December after a couple living in the now-shuttered Edge of Lowry apartments was kidnapped and tortured.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 25 Oct. 2025
Khaled was briefly transferred to Ofer Prison, where Adnan al-Bursh, an orthopedic surgeon who once led Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, had died in 2024, after being tortured.
—Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Over five years, the couple allegedly tortured her and embezzled her money, per prosecutors.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortured
Verb
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No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The apology came after a sustained campaign by historians and activists who argued that the victims were persecuted for being poor, vulnerable, or simply different.—
James Frater,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, the right shoe starts with a black pigskin suede base and mixes in blurred and distorted details to represent the pixelated side.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
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My guess is this is a small black bear, and blurring distorted the photo.—
Josh Honeycutt,
Outdoor Life,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Broncos beat up, bruised, harassed and downright punished Herbert from the start.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
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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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The idea that a leak of any kind must be coming from one of the cast members is something that has plagued many a Housewives season.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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Daylilies are sometimes plagued by pests like thrips, slugs, aphids, Japanese beetles, and spider mites.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In the past few years, the nation’s collective memory—never the strongest—has been relentlessly deformed by right-wing propaganda.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
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Both of the Yunxian skulls were deformed from millennia spent underground, but the second, known as Yunxian 2, was better preserved.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Instead, after entering the third period tied, the Wild got absolutely dominated by the Pittsburgh Penguins to once again disappoint the frustrated home crowd during what has been a miserable start to this 2025-26 campaign.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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Recently married to a promising academic yet already a frustrated wife, prone to boredom and depression?—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Wars and insurrections have afflicted other parts of the Middle East, but Baghdad—a city whose name was once synonymous with suicide bombings and sectarian murder—has been spared.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
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The Lakers were down LeBron James, afflicted by nerve pain.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One oral tradition about Lake Nyos describes how people long ago attempted to cross the dry lake bed between the high, contorted rock formations of the maar’s volcanic rim.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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Rogalski contorted his body and got a foot down in bounds to secure the interception at Mahtomedi’s 42 yard line.—
Andrew Cornelius,
Twin Cities,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tortured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortured. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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