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
Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
George was arraigned Saturday on three counts of second-degree killing/torturing animals, two counts of abandoning/cruelty to an animal resulting in a death, and one count of abandoning/cruelty to an animal.
—Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
Apparently, Lee couldn’t take Karl-Anthony Towns, who posted 19 points and 10 rebounds, torturing them on the interior and decided to change the look via the lineup.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 27 Nov. 2025
In the early days of Christianity, Emperor Nero persecuted Christians, arresting and torturing them before their execution.
—Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 23 Nov. 2025
It is accused of torturing and abusing political prisoners, such as women's rights activists who demonstrated for the right to drive.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 18 Nov. 2025
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
Verb
Dan Bujor, who lives out of a school bus parked in Long Island City, was arrested Sunday on charges including overdriving animals, torturing and injuring animals and failure to provide sustenance, in addition to driving without a license, in connection with the bizarre incident, cops said.
—Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
George was arraigned Saturday on three counts of second-degree killing/torturing animals, two counts of abandoning/cruelty to an animal resulting in a death, and one count of abandoning/cruelty to an animal.
—Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
Apparently, Lee couldn’t take Karl-Anthony Towns, who posted 19 points and 10 rebounds, torturing them on the interior and decided to change the look via the lineup.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 27 Nov. 2025
In the early days of Christianity, Emperor Nero persecuted Christians, arresting and torturing them before their execution.
—Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 23 Nov. 2025
It is accused of torturing and abusing political prisoners, such as women's rights activists who demonstrated for the right to drive.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 18 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturing
Adjective
-
Warfare Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s Warfare is an admirable attempt to counter the truism that there’s no such thing as an anti-war movie — that all war movies, however gruesome or wrenching, effectively (and often unwittingly) wind up glamorizing combat to some degree.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
-
One particularly wrenching moment in the film made an impression on her stepfather, Kurt Russell.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
21 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Rain that gets through cracks in the pavement softens the soil beneath, causing more deformation under traffic loading and leading to more cracking, according to Jonathan Stewart, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
-
This makes the material harder and more resistant to deformation.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
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
-
The distorting design of the Senate and the Electoral College, the filibuster’s persistence, and centralized leadership have all contributed to legislative ossification.—
Duncan Hosie,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Removing those financial incentives would allow care to be organized around quality and access rather than distorting care into forms most favored by bureaucrats.—
Tomas J. Philipson,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
September 22 Lucas Museum opens After a long, semi-torturous process, George Lucas’s grand vision for a public museum containing an impressive collection of paintings, drawings, and film memorabilia will finally come to fruition.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
22 Dec. 2025
-
During this increasingly torturous adjustment period, Millie learns Nina spent some time in a psychiatric facility years earlier after allegedly leaving Cece to drown in a bathtub and taking enough pills to kill herself.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
19 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
That's when the voice distortion comes into play — but due to a history of viewers trying to cheat the system, The Masked Singer team does even more to deceive the audience.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
-
However, practical deployment has been prevented by sensitivity to ambient light, waveform distortion in LEDs, according to a press release.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The scientists set out to investigate a debilitating and lethal parasite that’s been plaguing monarchs.—
Drew Kann,
AJC.com,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Johnson was staring down an urgent mission to address the virus plaguing her children.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cattano suggests screwing mug hooks into the bottom of kitchen cabinets to utilize that space between the cupboards and the countertops.—
Bridget Reed Morawski,
Architectural Digest,
7 Jan. 2026
-
That’s because the president doesn’t care about screwing people.—
Alexander Bolton,
The Hill,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torturing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturing. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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