as in tease
a person who causes repeated emotional pain, distress, or annoyance to another
a sadistic torturer of men he regarded as weak, the drillmaster really had it in for one recruit
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Recent Examples of torturer
Hopper grabs El and leaves Kali behind to be captured by her torturers again.
—
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
The overwhelming majority of experts dispute that torture actually works as an interrogation technique, arguing that any information that comes out of it is unreliable as people under duress will say anything needed to convince their torturers to stop.
—Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2025
It might have been produced, and not merely set, in a torturer’s basement.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Simply the possibility of taking some kind of revenge on the man who may or may not have been their torturer suddenly becomes an existential fact each person must confront in his or her own way.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
For decades, generals, coup-plotters, and torturers walked free under the shield of amnesty laws passed after the country’s 21-year dictatorship.
—Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Is the man actually his torturer?
—Zach Dennis, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2025
Each regime, from the Pahlavi dynasty to the Islamic Republic, claimed to uphold human rights and castigated its predecessors as torturers, only to ratchet up the incarceration of political opponents.
—Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
The overwhelming majority of experts dispute that torture actually works as an interrogation technique, arguing that any information that comes out of it is unreliable as people under duress will say anything needed to convince their torturers to stop.
—Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2025
It might have been produced, and not merely set, in a torturer’s basement.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Simply the possibility of taking some kind of revenge on the man who may or may not have been their torturer suddenly becomes an existential fact each person must confront in his or her own way.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
For decades, generals, coup-plotters, and torturers walked free under the shield of amnesty laws passed after the country’s 21-year dictatorship.
—Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Is the man actually his torturer?
—Zach Dennis, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2025
Each regime, from the Pahlavi dynasty to the Islamic Republic, claimed to uphold human rights and castigated its predecessors as torturers, only to ratchet up the incarceration of political opponents.
—Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturer
Noun
-
While this time around things went a bit smoother, the Step Up actress teases that, still, plenty of chaos will ensue.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Fans have already seen a Hannah Montana 20th anniversary tease, Miley Cyrus says.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Half mentor, half tormentor, Alex ruled her empire from a four-poster bed — brash, brilliant, and impossible to cross.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
31 Oct. 2025
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The mind could wander briefly about the Giants riding a two-game winning streak into a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Eagles, equipped to knock off their tormentors who suddenly look vulnerable.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Instead, the lawsuit argued, law enforcement in the area where the harasser lived should have served the papers.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Dec. 2025
-
Moreover, when harassers disproportionately target women, people of color and LGBTQ officials, entire communities are systematically excluded from participation in self-governance.—
Ernestine Nettles,
Mercury News,
22 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Paul was a former persecutor of Christians who became a missionary and was later beheaded in Rome.—
Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
23 Nov. 2025
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Amish are part of the wider Anabaptist movement, which puts heavy emphasis on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, containing some of his most radical and counter-cultural sayings — to love enemies, live simply, bless persecutors, turn the other cheek and to endure sufferings joyfully.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Even if online shaming continues, this accountability will make sure that the victimizer will face social consequences as well.—
Eli Thompson,
Rolling Stone,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In November, an attacker shot two National Guard members from West Virginia near the White House.—
Center Square,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Jan. 2026
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This one wasn’t without drama, as a resilient Czechia scored twice with the extra attacker in the last two minutes to pull within one, but an Ivar Stenberg empty-netter with eight seconds left sealed it.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torturer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturer. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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