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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortures
Noun
-
Another memorable station in my suspicious/contrarian reading life, but minus points for the nightmares.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025 -
Well, the dearth of new functionality means 25H2 won’t create any compatibility nightmares or require a lengthy install process with multiple restarts.—
Michael Muchmore,
PC Magazine,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
To investors, such progress offers ample reasons to overlook short-term pains like the company’s dip in profitability, says Wang.—
Yue Wang,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
The editorial takes pains to quote the school board, the board president and the Illinois Policy Institute, a right-wing and anti-labor organization, without any quotes from the association or its president.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Everything that plagues Chicago also plagues America.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Aug. 2025
-
This temporary fix does nothing to resolve the chronic underfunding and instability that plagues these programs year after year.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The African Union argues that the Mercator projection distorts the continent, both in size and global attention.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Fatigue distorts a leader’s judgment.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
All Quiet on the Western Front is a visually graphic portrayal of the horrors of war, earning four Academy Awards in 2023 — including Best International Feature Film.—
Jacqueline Weiss,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Kelley is chastised and eventually replaced by Gustave Gilbert (Colin Hanks), a rival psychologist with a different take, one that opposes Kelley’s more humanistic approach in defining the horrors of that time.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
7 Sep. 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
-
Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that primarily, and most severely, afflicts children.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
19 Aug. 2025
-
Although there have been recent breakthroughs in the treatment of Alzheimer’s, no medication has succeeded in stopping or reversing the disease that afflicts more than 7 million Americans, a number projected to reach almost 13 million by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
This movement deforms a fault network stretching west, where shallow earthquake occur (shown in orange and red).—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Tortures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortures. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share