1
as in nightmares
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
it's torture for me to see you so unhappy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tortures
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
But such judgments often come from a place of distance—from people who have never lived under a theocracy that imprisons, tortures, and kills with impunity.
—Nazanin Boniadi, Time, 11 Mar. 2026
In that final part of the cycle—the writing part—were torments, perhaps even tortures, but good things happened.
—Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Former Jews deemed insufficiently converted faced the Spanish Inquisition’s tortures.
—David Bloom, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Alexandra Rockey Fleming, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
Later, in one of the movie's most satisfying scenes, Millie locks Andrew in the attic and tortures him by loudly smashing each plate.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Dec. 2025
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
The 1990 Kathy Bates-James Caan starrer remains one of Hollywood’s finest horror pieces, with Bates winning an Oscar for her role as the obsessive fan Annie Wilkes, who tortures author Paul Sheldon (Caan) while holding him hostage in her remote cabin.
—Deborah Wilker, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
The bleak tortures Ohm concocts for his characters are as vile as the Bilberry’s fetid jacuzzi.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
But such judgments often come from a place of distance—from people who have never lived under a theocracy that imprisons, tortures, and kills with impunity.
—Nazanin Boniadi, Time, 11 Mar. 2026
In that final part of the cycle—the writing part—were torments, perhaps even tortures, but good things happened.
—Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Former Jews deemed insufficiently converted faced the Spanish Inquisition’s tortures.
—David Bloom, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
The retrospection tortures her.
—Alexandra Rockey Fleming, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
Later, in one of the movie's most satisfying scenes, Millie locks Andrew in the attic and tortures him by loudly smashing each plate.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Dec. 2025
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
The 1990 Kathy Bates-James Caan starrer remains one of Hollywood’s finest horror pieces, with Bates winning an Oscar for her role as the obsessive fan Annie Wilkes, who tortures author Paul Sheldon (Caan) while holding him hostage in her remote cabin.
—Deborah Wilker, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortures
Noun
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The nightmares stopped after he was released in March; the government had conceded that he and others had likely been arrested unlawfully.—
Melissa Sanchez,
ProPublica,
13 May 2026
-
My green dreams were now caterpillar nightmares.—
Emily Bryn Williams,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Ebola causes a hemorrhagic fever, with symptoms that start with fever, aches, pains and fatigue before progressing to diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding, according to the public health agency.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
But in the four years between the two terms, Xi had taken pains to ensure this tactic would no longer work, with export controls on rare earth metals that are indispensable to American arms manufacturers and carmakers.—
Rob Crilly,
The Washington Examiner,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
And as a fight over the reauthorization of a key national security surveillance law plagues the lower chamber, moving forward with the DHS funding hasn't appeared to be a top priority.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The reclined riding position spreads body weight evenly, eliminating the back, neck, and wrist strain that plagues conventional cycling.—
Omar Kardoudi
April 20,
New Atlas,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The paper burns away when fired in the kiln, leaving a structure that slumps and distorts under the effects of heat and gravity.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
12 May 2026
-
But the idea that an AI bot can determine a verdict by assessing evidence distorts the meaning of legal judgment.—
Sonali Chakravarti,
The Conversation,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
Yenor’s suggestion that feminism—with its attendant horrors of work outside the home, birth control, and financial independence—has made women neurotic and dependent on pharmaceuticals is now an article of faith on the right.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
-
While the camera is locked into Dua’s perspective, the world outside her peripheral vision changes radically in ways we aren’t allowed to see; the corner of the frame practically become a venue from which to intuit horrors.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Monk’s music contorts into an ecstatic dance, one more befitting of a ritual trance state than a night at the Five Spot.—
Levi Dayan,
Pitchfork,
11 May 2026
-
Bridges contorts his body, and jacks up an errant layup, but the play isn’t done there.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And yet, in the scene on the Hill of Love, Lapid offers no self-questioning, no sense of cinematic exertion or trouble, in the fictional framing of the real agonies of Gaza.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The celebrated poet and memoirist, delves into the agonies of her decision and describes the emerging women’s liberation movement, of which Moore would soon become a participant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tortures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortures. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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