as in tormenter
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
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
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
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That’s quite a tease, not to mention a lot of pressure to put on her 12th release.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
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Living together in the Fear House, a group of strangers face OMG stunts, challenges, and a twisted game of social strategy, Banijay teases.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On the Met’s stage, the writer — called, say, Jamal Khashoggi — would be sung by a heroic tenor, his tormentor by a demonic baritone.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Thornton uses a wheelchair, and here his Lucky is guided by his tormentor.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The documentary tells the true story of a teenage couple relentlessly bullied via text by an anonymous harasser.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The grounds once housed the elaborate palace of first century Roman Emperor Domitian, a persecutor of Christians.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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That is a nasty process which involves digging up Ambar’s still-fresh corpse, then subjecting it to various grisly indignities night after night as retribution gets visited upon our heroine’s persecutors.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Donell Harvin, a homeland security and public health emergency expert at Georgetown University, told CNN on Sunday that the attacker may have conducted pre-operational surveillance and come up with a plan that maximizes fatalities and damage.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
29 Sep. 2025
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This prompted the attacker to run toward Arsenal Technical High School, east of downtown.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torturer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturer. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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