torturer

noun

Definition of torturernext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of torturer Red is immediately abducted, cut open in an ambulance, and injected with pain-magnifying drugs by his torturers, while Liz accidentally murders the mysterious man surveilling her next door. — Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026 Aaron escapes his torturers, first by rooting himself in the town’s only movie theater open to Black people, and then by lying about his age and enlisting in the Navy at 16. — Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026 Incredibly, one of Schiller's torturers, Jorge Delgado - the Sun Gym member who had first told Lugo about Schiller and his millions - ended up helping the federal government make their case. — Troy Roberts, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026 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 Others refuse to lower themselves to the level of their torturers. — Karl Vick, Time, 13 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturer
  1. tease
  2. tormentor
  3. harasser
  4. persecutor
  5. victimizer
  6. attacker
Noun
  • The new trailer offers a brief tease of the instantly-iconic concert, in which Winter headlined Carnegie Hall for one night only at the age of 23.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The exhibition schedule and summer league tend to be seasons of tease.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of tease
Noun
  • Each nutty denunciation of his imaginary tormentors includes a plea for a presidential pardon.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026
  • So her lighthearted moment with her former tormentor was noteworthy, and not lost on Negan.
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 27 July 2026
Definition of tormentor
Noun
  • Parton’s ability to become the harasser without falling into some version of male drag makes this short sequence far superior to the many films with a similar premise that followed.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • White stars can help by publicly supporting their Black colleagues, who are especially targeted by online trolls and harassers.
    — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of harasser
Noun
  • Are prisoners in Nazi concentration camps not the legal owners of artworks they were forced to make by their SS persecutors?
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Honoring the undocumented and decrying their persecutors at the height of her career, against political headwinds and with nothing to gain and everything to lose, was par for her life, and a challenge for all of us to do the same.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of persecutor
Noun
  • My office will hold their victimizer fully accountable for her inhumane actions.
    — Eric Mack, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Jarrett, the elder brother, was eventually taken in by a man who later abused him, a victimizer who then set his sights on Baylon.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of victimizer
Noun
  • Labour legislator Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Data breaches hand attackers the right facts, and generative AI can now supply a matching face and voice.
    — Caryn Seidman Becker, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of attacker

Browse Nearby Words

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torturer
torturers
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Cite this Entry

“Torturer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturer. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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