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
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
Dahbia Benkired was convicted of raping, torturing and killing Lola Daviet, according the BBC, BFMTV and The New York Times.
—Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
In another film with a less happy outcome, the woman who claims to be the amnesiac’s wife is an impostor who ends up torturing him.
—Literary Hub, 24 Oct. 2025
Additionally, before season one aired, Page Six reported Zakkour was allegedly at the scene of the arrest of crypto investor John Woeltz, who has been charged with kidnapping and torturing a man alongside William Duplessie, per AP News.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Murphy also revealed there would be a focus on the Hungarian noblewoman Elizabeth Báthory, who, along with her servants, was accused of torturing and killing hundreds of young women in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
More than 3,000 Hamas fighters gunned down civilians, torturing and mutilating some of them in their own homes, still in their pajamas.
—Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
The trailer presents the Jimmies as a downright terrifying clan, showing them violating and torturing other survivors.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2025
Consequently, the unit’s members film themselves torturing and executing Palestinians.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
Hundreds — some with and some without criminal records — have vanished without due process indefinitely into the prison systems of other countries infamous for torturing inmates.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025
Dahbia Benkired was convicted of raping, torturing and killing Lola Daviet, according the BBC, BFMTV and The New York Times.
—Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
In another film with a less happy outcome, the woman who claims to be the amnesiac’s wife is an impostor who ends up torturing him.
—Literary Hub, 24 Oct. 2025
Additionally, before season one aired, Page Six reported Zakkour was allegedly at the scene of the arrest of crypto investor John Woeltz, who has been charged with kidnapping and torturing a man alongside William Duplessie, per AP News.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Murphy also revealed there would be a focus on the Hungarian noblewoman Elizabeth Báthory, who, along with her servants, was accused of torturing and killing hundreds of young women in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
More than 3,000 Hamas fighters gunned down civilians, torturing and mutilating some of them in their own homes, still in their pajamas.
—Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
The trailer presents the Jimmies as a downright terrifying clan, showing them violating and torturing other survivors.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2025
Consequently, the unit’s members film themselves torturing and executing Palestinians.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturing
Adjective
-
Perhaps the most wrenching scene is one in which Anders, seated alone in a busy café, tunes in to ordinary conversations around him.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
By carefully designing repeating units, researchers can control these deformations to perform different calculations and even reprogram the material after it has been made.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Asurvey of three species of octopuses from Europe and the Americas catalogued a total of 6,781 arm deformations.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Trump has repeatedly alleged that the South African government is actively persecuting white citizens, particularly farmers.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The former human-rights lawyer entered on a tourist visa and filed for political asylum in October of that year, claiming the governments that succeeded Correa were persecuting him.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Over the summer, officials in Turkey — where the lawsuit says some of the allegedly fraudulent Drake streams originated — started investigating Spotify over several allegations, including bribes for playlist placement and bot streams distorting domestic charts.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
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All the shadows and jagged angles evoke German Expressionism, distorting Ronnie’s confrontation into something both surreal and terrifyingly recognizable.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The earnings report is the first by the company following the August close of the merger of Paramount and Skydance after a long and torturous regulatory process.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Waiting for news was torturous.—
Grace White,
Essence,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Platinum-iridium alloys, with X-shapes to better resist distortions, replaced those originals.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Drawn and composed in shifting degrees of blur, grain and focal distortion, the film traces how sight shapes emotional attachment.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Both cases are apt to serve as models for how to prevent the kind of school shootings still plaguing the nation and could set legal precedent for who shoulders the blame when children have access to guns and open fire on campus.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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The Live With Kelly and Mark talk show hostess seemingly hasn't known peace on the scariest day of the year for quite some time, but not because of ghosts and ghoulies plaguing her — but, rather, ungrateful neighbors who consistently complain about her Halloween candy.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Whatever the cause, Denton plays Guy as a mid-tier Vampire Diaries protagonist, never evincing a range beyond just sort of screwing his face up a bit when he’s supposed to be upset.—
Lily Osler,
Vulture,
27 Oct. 2025
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Each of the authors who spoke to Rolling Stone say Amazon has a clear responsibility to invest in more software and moderation that prevents AI scam books like these from screwing over readers and authors.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torturing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturing. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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