TORTURERS Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

torturers

noun

plural of torturer

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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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 torturers 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturers

Noun

That their tormentors were not untouchable.

— Nazanin Boniadi, Time, 11 Mar. 2026
If the tormenters keep it up, grackles do eventually move.

— Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026

Definition of tormentors

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
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

Definition of persecutors

Noun

Websites under the control of the attackers display a CAPTCHA that requires the visitor to copy a jumble of text and paste it into the terminal.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 16 July 2026
Mbappe wasn’t the worst of France’s attackers and never stopped trying to turn the tide, but his quality deserted him.

— Liam Twomey, New York Times, 16 July 2026

Definition of attackers

Noun

That’s a little simplistic — look at San Francisco’s Scott Wiener being chased from a trans rights event by hecklers accusing him of being pro-genocide.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 1 July 2026
McIlroy was even seen stepping back from the ball to quip back at one of the hecklers, while others, including his friend Shane Lowry, were also quick to respond.

— Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026

Definition of hecklers

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“Torturers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturers. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of torturers

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