as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful
watched the final torturing moments of the game as the lead constantly shifted between the two teams
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in deformation
the twisting of something out of a natural or normal shape or condition
fans of the natural look frown on the torturing of garden trees and shrubs into fantastic shapes
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in persecuting
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 distorting
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
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Recent Examples of torturing
Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Some 800 film professionals, including Oscar winners Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard and director Yorgos Lanthimos, have signed a joint statement condemning the Iranian government’s brutal crackdown on protestors, calling out Tehran’s killing and torturing of its own people.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 21 Jan. 2026
Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 25 May 2026
Others believe that extraterrestrials are imparting divine wisdom, or are simply torturing us, like a child pulling the legs off an insect.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The malevolent Sidious put Maul through the wringer, torturing and manipulating him on his path to becoming a fearsome Sith Lord.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 19 May 2026
Apparently, their definition of resistance is to gang rape as many women and men of all ages as possible before torturing, mutilating and murdering them.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 14 May 2026
His 39 points on 13-of-18 shooting in Game 3, including 16 in the fourth, evoked images of Hakeem Olajuwon torturing post defenders.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 12 May 2026
Barahona has been behind bars since March 2011 after being accused of killing of 10-year-old Nubia Barahona and torturing her twin brother Victor.
—Grethel Aguila, Sun Sentinel, 6 May 2026
The coastal Georgia man arrested in 2018 and accused of torturing, killing and burying his two teenage children in the backyard of the family’s mobile home will spend the rest of his life behind bars after reaching a plea deal.
—Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The briefing came days after Tierney secured a guilty plea from another Long Island serial killer, Rex Heuermann, who is expected to be sentenced in June after admitting to torturing and killing eight women.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Noun
James Vigneau, 42, was arraigned on one count of second-degree killing/torturing of animals and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.
—Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Some 800 film professionals, including Oscar winners Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard and director Yorgos Lanthimos, have signed a joint statement condemning the Iranian government’s brutal crackdown on protestors, calling out Tehran’s killing and torturing of its own people.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
Bobby Atkinson, 37, is accused of threatening to kill his wife during a morning altercation at their Louisville home before allegedly torturing her dogs, Brooklyn and Seven, according to the Louisville Courier Journal, WAVE and WKRC.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 25 May 2026
Others believe that extraterrestrials are imparting divine wisdom, or are simply torturing us, like a child pulling the legs off an insect.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The malevolent Sidious put Maul through the wringer, torturing and manipulating him on his path to becoming a fearsome Sith Lord.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 19 May 2026
Apparently, their definition of resistance is to gang rape as many women and men of all ages as possible before torturing, mutilating and murdering them.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 14 May 2026
His 39 points on 13-of-18 shooting in Game 3, including 16 in the fourth, evoked images of Hakeem Olajuwon torturing post defenders.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 12 May 2026
Barahona has been behind bars since March 2011 after being accused of killing of 10-year-old Nubia Barahona and torturing her twin brother Victor.
—Grethel Aguila, Sun Sentinel, 6 May 2026
The coastal Georgia man arrested in 2018 and accused of torturing, killing and burying his two teenage children in the backyard of the family’s mobile home will spend the rest of his life behind bars after reaching a plea deal.
—Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The briefing came days after Tierney secured a guilty plea from another Long Island serial killer, Rex Heuermann, who is expected to be sentenced in June after admitting to torturing and killing eight women.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturing
Adjective
-
His most wrenching scene, when Stagg receives a devastating personal call but cannot react amid the intense geopolitical stakes, captured this tension.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
26 May 2026
-
Another wrenching question, of course, is whether at least the younger Perez siblings would want or need to go with Olga to Guatemala if she were deported.—
Tim Padgett,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The deformation depends on a single free exponent.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
26 May 2026
-
However, the authors acknowledge that even their advanced simulations still cannot capture every fine-scale detail of crustal deformation or ejecta movement.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Behind the story One of the really big stories on my beat covering China for the last decade has been Beijing's intensive ramp-up in detaining and persecuting Uyghurs, a primarily Muslim ethnic minority.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
26 May 2026
-
The South African government has denied persecuting the ethnic minority, composed of descendants of European settlers, mostly from the Netherlands.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
In a forthcoming paper, Miran will argue along with two Fed economists that recent software inflation has been artificially inflated by technical factors, distorting headline and core numbers.—
Matt Peterson,Steve Liesman,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
-
These developments do not rise to a level where AI can be said to be distorting the economy.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
What Mary endures throughout Stappard’s debut is unquestionably torturous, but the writer/director never seems to take pleasure in orchestrating her or any other Māori characters’ suffering.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
17 May 2026
-
Many of the children didn’t survive the torturous experimentation, while others developed superpowers.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Others are equally clear, such as getting immigration under control, allowing free speech and ditching the teaching of distortions of history.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
Bluetooth Speaker Deals The JBL Flip 7 steps up portable audio performance with AI Sound Boost to maximize acoustic output with significantly lower distortion.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
She is backed by the local Democratic Socialists of America, and her challengers claim the district has suffered under under her leadership, pointing to MacArthur Park as emblematic of the homelessness and drug addiction crisis plaguing the city.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
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The title of his third album, REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE, suggests an MCU movie in which our hero attempts to take on every problem plaguing the planet—and this time, Owusu isn’t giving his adversaries code names.—
Stuart Berman,
Pitchfork,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Put the stopper back in the sink before re-screwing the pivot nut, horizontal rod, and sliding your under sink items back into place.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
-
Finally, the professional will install hangers to reinforce your gutters before screwing the mesh guard on top.—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torturing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturing. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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