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
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
And targeting, torturing, and murdering political opponents, rivals, and critics have marked the conflict since its beginning.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Jamie Simpson of Covington was sentenced in March to 60 years in prison for holding his wife captive and torturing her for hours before barricading himself inside her home in a lengthy standoff with police.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 3 Sep. 2025
Emmett was just 14 when he was kidnapped from his great-uncle’s house by two White men who later admitted to beating and torturing the teen before shooting him in the head and throwing his body into the Tallahatchie River, weighed down by a 75-pound cotton gin fan.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2025
Hey, the current state of late-night TV is probably torturing him enough.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025
Despite maintaining his innocence, Kraft was convicted in 1989 of torturing and killing 16 men throughout California in a case that horrified the nation.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2025
The boyfriend accused of torturing his girlfriend alongside his mother in a horrific Bronx slaying, then evading cops for a week made his first appearance in court.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
And targeting, torturing, and murdering political opponents, rivals, and critics have marked the conflict since its beginning.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Jamie Simpson of Covington was sentenced in March to 60 years in prison for holding his wife captive and torturing her for hours before barricading himself inside her home in a lengthy standoff with police.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 3 Sep. 2025
Emmett was just 14 when he was kidnapped from his great-uncle’s house by two White men who later admitted to beating and torturing the teen before shooting him in the head and throwing his body into the Tallahatchie River, weighed down by a 75-pound cotton gin fan.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2025
Hey, the current state of late-night TV is probably torturing him enough.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025
Despite maintaining his innocence, Kraft was convicted in 1989 of torturing and killing 16 men throughout California in a case that horrified the nation.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2025
The boyfriend accused of torturing his girlfriend alongside his mother in a horrific Bronx slaying, then evading cops for a week made his first appearance in court.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturing
Noun
-
Tiny quartz and feldspar crystals, no bigger than a human hair, that carried microscopic planar deformation features.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Sep. 2025
-
All in all, the researchers cataloged 3,907 arm actions that required 6,871 arm deformations.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
For 25 years, Chavism has co-opted Venezuela's infrastructure for its own enrichment, persecuting journalists and opposition, wrecking the economy, and leaving its citizens in poverty.—
Kristina Foltz,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Petrified faces tightly framed by the distorting lens of the camera.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The impermanence of our digital footprint, especially in this age of AI scraping and incomplete catalog streaming, is distorting our story.—
Rodney Carmichael,
NPR,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Bertino’s chamber piece unfolds over one torturous night and will be exclusive to Paramount’s streaming platform following its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in September.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The longtime actor and multi-faceted filmmaker crafts an unhinged, go-for-broke performance as a legendary quarterback putting his potential heir apparent (Tyriq Withers) through a psychologically torturous training camp.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Air consisted of atmospheric rock that fine tuned their ability to make powerful music without relying on distortion, and Earth was a mix of folk and Americana, something Kensrue had begun to explore via his 2007 solo record, Please Come Home.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Consciousness, human life, utterly in the grip of its own dreamlife, all our thinking and voicing caught in a web of surreal distortion, generated by our irrational yearning and apprehensions, our appetite for myth, our solipsism.—
Jane Ciabattari
September 25,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Bersten, 31, reveals he’s been pleased with the Dynasty actress’s work ethic in rehearsal despite the injuries plaguing her.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Pearsall appeared to have reaggravated his knee injury that was plaguing him all week, and he was pulled from the game.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Plumbing in an old house requires reaching into funny crevices and screwing things the right way.—
Matthew Hutson,
IEEE Spectrum,
22 Sep. 2025
-
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,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The worried mom immediately booked a flight from Virginia to Colorado, which was an agonizing trip.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
-
But as the search at the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, about 420 miles east of Jakarta, entered its fourth day on Thursday, Indonesian authorities made the agonizing decision to move from rescue to recovery.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torturing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturing. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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