1
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
relatives had to make the torturous decision to disconnect the patient's life-support system
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2
as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful
the post-infection treatment for rabies was as notoriously torturous as the disease itself
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Recent Examples of torturous
Hiking through the deep snow drifts above 26,000 feet is torturous and time consuming.
—
Frederick Dreier, Outside, 8 Oct. 2025
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
Season 2 reveals the main characters were locked up in a torturous adult rehabilitation center, but have now been allowed to re-enroll at Godolkin University.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torturous
Frederick Dreier, Outside, 8 Oct. 2025
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
Season 2 reveals the main characters were locked up in a torturous adult rehabilitation center, but have now been allowed to re-enroll at Godolkin University.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torturous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturous
Adjective
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This winter’s procedure, Edman said, included a ligament repair and the removal of some painful bone spurs in the ankle, which had limited not just his baserunning but his ability to bounce back and forth between the infield and the outfield.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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With Rock’s unmistakable voice narrating every awkward win and painful loss, the series balanced humor with real-life lessons.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The sentencing hearing included emotional and wrenching statements from Ferguson's family, who described a life permanently altered by the loss of their son and relative.—
Sergio Candido,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
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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
Adjective
-
Before Getting Started When cleaning your oven, try to avoid using harsh oven cleaners or using the self-cleaning feature.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
29 Jan. 2026
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The origin of clemency is understood through the Federalist Papers as a need for mercy in instances when the criminal justice system was too harsh.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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His family spent an agonizing week searching through morgues, hospitals and detention facilities before finally identifying his body among piles of corpses, also shown in the viral footage.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Her family would later make the agonizing decision to take her off life support.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Young people are growing up in a climate that can feel cruel, divided or lonely.—
Julie Ruth Owen,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
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And cutting nurses’ health care benefits is just cruel.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
For his family, the wait for justice has been excruciating.—
Larry Seward,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
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There’s a common misconception that auteur filmmakers like Anderson have every detail of their films planned out ahead of time in excruciating detail.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This period of intense study laid the groundwork for what would later become known as the Korean New Wave.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Shares fell during his time in government but rebounded sharply in December, reaching a record high amid intense market interest in AI.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torturous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturous. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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