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
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
Hopper grabs El and leaves Kali behind to be captured by her torturers again.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
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
Hopper grabs El and leaves Kali behind to be captured by her torturers again.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturer
Noun
-
It’s been 28 years since their last appearance, but the older fans remember the feeling of heady optimism, an occasional tease of excitement and then crushing disappointment.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
-
His season ends with a heart attack, mirroring his father’s cause of death — and a major tease for his story continuation in the One Golden Summer novel.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Crucial events morphed into massive set pieces, like Louis hunting down Claudia’s killers by setting their theater on fire, exploding the motorcycles of the vampires who fled the inferno, and eventually bursting out of a manhole to behead Claudia’s main tormenter.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
-
Pedro Báez joined the Los Angeles pen in 2014 and assumed the role of Goldschmidt’s primary tormentor.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Still, the star did not name her harassers.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
22 May 2026
-
Most harassers do not harass others in front of someone else.—
Briana Mascaro,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Third-graders would learn about the Road to Damascus, which tells the story of Paul’s transformation from an early persecutor of Christians into a follower.—
Heather Hollingsworth,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Third graders would learn about the Road to Damascus, which tells the story of Paul's transformation from an early persecutor of Christians into a follower.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Anyone who thinks the only alternative to being a victim is to be a victimizer is missing some important possibilities.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 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
-
Hurd was seen fist-bumping another attacker moments after deputies intervened, Madden Ragland said.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
23 June 2026
-
In practice, this means understanding which tools may be used against you, how audience perception can be manipulated, what sequence of actions attackers typically follow, and which methods are deployed at different stages of a campaign.—
Alona Karpinska,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torturer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturer. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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