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
His torturers shattered his hands and paraded him around the stadium, taunting him to try to play his guitar.
—
Christina Hioureas, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2026
In an early scene, an auto mechanic named Vahid recognizes his former torturer by the distinctive squeak of his prosthetic leg.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
The film, which looks at a former political prisoner who considers violent revenge against his prison torturer, was co-written by Panahi, Mahmoudian, Nader Saeiver and Shadhmer Rastin.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 1 Feb. 2026
In addition, my torturers repeatedly provided pieces of information that could prove helpful in identifying them as part of investigations by the FBI and other agencies.
—Elizabeth Tsurkov, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
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
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
Christina Hioureas, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2026
In an early scene, an auto mechanic named Vahid recognizes his former torturer by the distinctive squeak of his prosthetic leg.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
The film, which looks at a former political prisoner who considers violent revenge against his prison torturer, was co-written by Panahi, Mahmoudian, Nader Saeiver and Shadhmer Rastin.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 1 Feb. 2026
In addition, my torturers repeatedly provided pieces of information that could prove helpful in identifying them as part of investigations by the FBI and other agencies.
—Elizabeth Tsurkov, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturer
Noun
-
That’s why the pretty-much-annual fleeting tease like a High Point is so embraced and celebrated.—
Greg Cote
Updated March 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
-
That’s my opaque tease of what’s to come.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Webb and San Francisco’s pitching staff will have to figure out how to slow down Linden’s Judge, the former Giants fan turned current Giants tormentor.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
My tormentor bolted, leaving me behind—bloody, battered, and confused.—
Katie Jackson,
Outside,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Of course, that conservative approach is often wrecked by QB harassers such as Lawrence and Williams, part of a defense that ranked seventh in the NFL in sacks.—
Eric Branch,
San Francisco Chronicle,
17 Jan. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Shakespeare humanizes the Elizabethan stage stereotype of the villainous Jew by giving Shylock ample reason for wanting to get back at his Christian persecutors.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
-
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
Noun
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The podcast is a fascinating artifact, the tale of a woman still untangling her role as both victim and victimizer.—
Jillian Steinhauer,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
-
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 October 2025, an attacker drove his car into people gathered outside a Manchester synagogue to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and stabbed one person to death.—
KRUTIKA PATHI,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Once victims enter their credentials, attackers gain access to their email accounts.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torturer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturer. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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