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, 9 Apr. 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
One of his tortures is forcing his prisoners to watch it on repeat.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 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
-
Their evident fondness for one another, glowing warmly alongside all their sniping and whispering and eye-rolling, allows all the nightmares in Big Mistakes to feel like a lark rather than an incipient calamity.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Between the jealousy, paranoia, and a shocking cake-cutting scene that'd give any wedding planner a lifetime of nightmares, The Girlfriend puts a soapy, sexy, scary spin on well-trodden monster-in-law territory.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Gibson cited increasingly severe stomach pains and diarrhea across several days as her family's symptoms.—
Chiara Kim,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Branch Rickey and Leo Durocher, the Dodgers’ general manager and manager, took great pains to protect Robinson, but protecting him from all of the vitriol was an impossibility.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Still, a key downside risk for all three companies is the uncertainty that plagues the future of energy markets, according to Goldman.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Shifting to the execution phase By securing graphite early, the company aims to mitigate supply chain volatility that often plagues advanced nuclear projects.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Obadia sees the Optimus question as evidence of how the racial framing itself distorts perception.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
8 Apr. 2026
-
To equate the suffering of Jesus with the circumstances of any political leader distorts the Gospel beyond recognition.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Arthur is living for the likes, his suburban house of horrors happening to bear similarities to the anonymous McMansions preferred by so many influencers.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The Broadway power couple first met while surviving the horrors of the underworld in Hadestown before traveling to Weimar Republic Germany in Cabaret.—
Carey Purcell,
Vogue,
8 Apr. 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
-
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
-
As a magnetar spins on its axis at nearly the speed of light, its immense magnetic field contorts, coils and twists to pump out powerful radiation.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
11 Mar. 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
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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 22 Apr. 2026.
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