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
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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
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tortures
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
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
-
Kayce’s days are spent wrangling horses, and his evenings being haunted by nightmares of tragedies past.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Audre Lorde kept track of her nightmares and talked about going from the nightmare to the poem.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After a whole season exploring the pains of being an illegitimate child and fears of pregnancy, Sophie and Benedict are now free to have children that would be welcomed warmly into society.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
-
But these are the standard-issue growing pains the NHL routinely beats into developing rosters.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
While a fuel crisis plagues the people of Lagos, Nigeria, a young cab driver dreams of a better life.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Notably from a distribution standpoint, Double Vision’s sister production services business will assist with everything from music clearances – something that plagues many microdrama makers – and format bibles to localization services and local productions in key markets.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
First, the skull weakens and distorts sound waves.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The work depicts a camel whose body distorts into a landmass, possibly Kazakhstan itself.—
Anel Rakhimzhanova,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
William Grimes wrote before that moment, introducing a distinctly American voice shaped by the horrors of enslavement in the South and the precariousness of freedom in the North.—
Regina E. Mason,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
-
At the time, France, led by President Jacques Chirac, could not countenance supporting an attack on Saddam Hussein, given the weak evidence for either weapons of mass destruction or a link to the horrors of 9/11.—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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At this point, you’d be forgiven for expecting a straightforward werewolf story, but Cassidy’s novel stretches and contorts into something far stranger, more audacious, and ultimately, both heartbreaking and triumphant.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
2 Dec. 2025
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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
Noun
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Hadi’s exceptional attention gives cinematic identity to collective artisanal energy, to the life force of care and devotion that stands outside the agonies of politics, to the spirit that endures a regime and outlives it.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tortures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortures. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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