1
as in nightmares
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
it's torture for me to see you so unhappy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pains
a state of great suffering of body or mind
spent an afternoon in torture waiting to hear whether her brother had made it home safely
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1
as in plagues
to cause persistent suffering to
the neighbor's dog constantly tortures our cat, barking at him and chasing him down the street
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2
as in distorts
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition
tortured her naturally straight hair into curls
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Recent Examples of tortures
David Bloom, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
Former Jews deemed insufficiently converted faced the Spanish Inquisition’s tortures.
—David Bloom, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
The mistake tortures them, which prompts the couple to try and solve the mystery by producing a fake play in an attempt to get their ex-neighbor Mary (Chloe Cherry) to audition.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortures
Noun
-
Saleh definitely enjoys the weekly meetings and sausage-making process, despite admittedly having nightmares every Monday night about the next opponent.—
Vic Tafur,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
When border crossings were higher, there could be logistical nightmares for his company, Martinez said.—
Julia Ainsley,
NBC news,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Aches and pains don’t compare to the agony of an unrealized dream.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Such pleasurable pains, at their most chronic, or their most carnal, can keep Lang occupied for the length of a stanza.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Every unit can be audited on a public ledger, reducing the opacity that plagues traditional finance.—
Luke Xie,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
His voice already had that staticky, far-away quality that plagues international calls, which made Nakia fear he was gone for good.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This pressure also distorts decision-making.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Stress or overconfidence distorts risk perception and influences decisions far more than spreadsheets.—
Bruce Helmer,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
President Biden singularly stands out in his callous enabling of the horrors inflicted on Gaza for more than a year.—
Shibley Telhami,
Time,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The film, set in a southeast Ukrainian town occupied by Russia, will explore the search for human dignity amidst the daily horrors of war.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
With an almost modern-day Charlie Chaplin-esque physicality, Moss dances, contorts, and frolics amongst the shoes, their boxes, and fixtures in the store for a mesmerizing, can't-look-away effect.—
Roxanne Robinson,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Stewart contorts his face with a look of disbelief when asked if Montgomery has stayed on him.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Motion sickness afflicts one in three adults and one in two children.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Whether the winner’s curse afflicts buyers in other countries remains an open question.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In free fall, the sheet deforms into an upside-down bell when a weight is attached at its center.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
-
According to Burlison, the video shows a high-speed object—presumably the missile—hitting the orb, which then deforms, tumbles, and sheds smaller fragments, one barely visible.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tortures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortures. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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