as in tormentors
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 torturers
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
The prisoners got out and the saw the torturers.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 21 Jan. 2026
As my experience showed, a heavy reliance on physical abuse makes for proficient torturers, not skilled interrogators.
—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
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
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
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
The prisoners got out and the saw the torturers.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 21 Jan. 2026
As my experience showed, a heavy reliance on physical abuse makes for proficient torturers, not skilled interrogators.
—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
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
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 torturers
Noun
-
If the tormenters keep it up, grackles do eventually move.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Feb. 2026
-
And her tormentors are all abruptly, painfully departing the scene or, at the very least, becoming ensnared in one humiliation after another.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
These teases run counter to the messaging Grande has been putting out since last year about not doing another album anytime soon.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Olson, 50, breaks down all of those shocking cliffhangers and teases what could happen if Morgan finally reunites with Roman in season 3.—
Sabienna Bowman,
PEOPLE,
8 Apr. 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
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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
-
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
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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
-
While Rosenior would have been expected to coax better performances from those available, Chelsea’s attackers have failed to step up.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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In footage posted to X by Mayor Eric Adams on Friday, dozens of bystanders can be seen filming as Jaden is savagely beaten, when one of his attackers draws a firearm and shoots him at point-blank range.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Placard-waving hecklers who supported Barry Goldwater, the Republican nominee for president, tried to interrupt Lady Bird’s speeches at many of the stops.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Apr. 2026
-
There were a couple of hecklers inside.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torturers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturers. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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