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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful
the post-infection treatment for rabies was as notoriously torturous as the disease itself
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of torturous
The point is that in a pinch, Apple’s low-cost MacBook can handle its share of work without slowing to a crawl or feeling torturous to deal with.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
The break was long and torturous for fans but clearly restorative for Styles, who lolled in the Italian countryside with Alessandro Michele, bonded with a new niece, and found himself unassumingly among the masses in the Vatican when the conclave elected Pope Leo XIV last June.
—Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2026
After a torturous 2025 season that featured one of the worst team pitching performances in major league history, the pitching think tank was overhauled.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
Every year many Christians are arrested and imprisoned under torturous conditions for practicing their right to religious freedom, where a simple act like praying together in house-churches seems like an act of civil disobedience.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for torturous
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
The break was long and torturous for fans but clearly restorative for Styles, who lolled in the Italian countryside with Alessandro Michele, bonded with a new niece, and found himself unassumingly among the masses in the Vatican when the conclave elected Pope Leo XIV last June.
—Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2026
After a torturous 2025 season that featured one of the worst team pitching performances in major league history, the pitching think tank was overhauled.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
Every year many Christians are arrested and imprisoned under torturous conditions for practicing their right to religious freedom, where a simple act like praying together in house-churches seems like an act of civil disobedience.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for torturous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturous
Adjective
-
My ila facial was pure joy—no painful extraction or aggravating scrubs here.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Both seasons were painfully funny (often just painful), but the humor sometimes got lost as time has proven even its most over-the-top bits eerily correct.—
Jennifer Silverman,
Rolling Stone,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
These four novels create a convincing, wrenching, kaleidoscopic picture of the range and repetitions of the most fatal kind of love; the sort of love that allows nothing else to grow around it, that eradicates all dignity; a love which, in order to be completed, must be told.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Unkind words and thoughts from your harshest critic (yourself) are all too common, especially for women, and their effects can diminish mood, confidence and self-esteem while positive ones can have the opposite impact.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Those forces may give the president more leverage in his negotiations, but also risk fueling Tehran's resentment and provoking a harsher response, analysts say.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In an agonizing twist, just as the show had gotten underway, Eden received word she had been accepted by a professional ballet company.—
Scot Paltrow,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Either way, at least the agonizing holding pattern would be over.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Some countries have laws administering what critics believe are cruel punishments or place undue restrictions on women and minorities.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
-
While Tony coddles his own bruised ego, there is clearly a greater reason for the cruel hijinks, which comes in the form of some significant cash.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Sometimes the journey to diagnosis is so emotionally excruciating that people call off the effort for a long period of time or even altogether.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Enter World Cup Camp, a place where aging super fans can step into the lives of a professional footballer without the excruciating, chronic pain (more or less).—
Rebecca Leib,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For the seventh year in a row, Walmart captured more money from Charlotte-area shoppers than any other grocery store, despite intense competition from local grocers like Harris Teeter and Food Lion.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Graves’ exit has sparked intense speculation about his potential successor to represent Missouri’s 6th Congressional District, which stretches across northern Missouri and touches Kansas City’s Northland.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torturous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturous. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
