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

Florida has had a tortured relationship with this Biden-era money, originally intended to bolster states’ public charging networks for electric cars. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026

Our tortured contemporary education is a logical outgrowth of its origin story. — Kamau Bobb october 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026

Earlier works tinging with an obscure kind of darkness that hinted at tortured psychological states have all but disappeared from her work and living quarters in lieu of an elegant old world charm. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

But this leads to secrets revealed, lies told and tortured confrontations, not just with others but most intensely with himself. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026

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

Verb

Two people are facing charges after authorities say an 81-year-old Delaware man was lured to a home in Elkton, Maryland, where he was tortured, assaulted and robbed. — ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026

Ng, along with his accomplice Leonard Lake, tortured and killed at least a dozen people at their Calaveras County cabin in the 1980s. — Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026

South Africa is plagued by high rates of violence, and some Afrikaners have been tortured and murdered. — Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 5 Nov. 2026

Imprisoned during the persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Diocletian, they were tortured and beheaded. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026

From the very start, the students assigned as guards went on cruel power trips and repeatedly humiliated — if not psychologically tortured — the inmates, to the point that some of the prisoners suffered nervous breakdowns. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026

Shorter than his peers (with Diana the tallest), Absolute Superman is more reserved and less confident than them — but just as tortured. — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2026

The back half of the track, downcast and tortured, evokes the operatic desolation of Waiting-era Thursday. — Nick Laskin, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026

The final bit, where Homer allows himself to be tortured so his son can graduate at the top of his class, is sweet, though. — Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026