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
In court proceedings in the years to follow, many of Gabriel’s family members, including his siblings Virginia and Ezequiel, testified about the torturous abuse the child experienced at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend.
—
Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 24 May 2025
Smith's lawyers filed a lawsuit along with eight other death row inmates challenge Tennessee’s new protocol, saying there is a high risk of torturous death.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 23 May 2025
The gleeful cruelty contained in these images is downright gut-churning, and makes for a necessary foundation to later moments of the elderly, fugitive Mengele being forced to confront his torturous wrongdoings.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 May 2025
Transitions and transformations can be fraught, even torturous.
—Nicole Stanton, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for torturous
Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 24 May 2025
Smith's lawyers filed a lawsuit along with eight other death row inmates challenge Tennessee’s new protocol, saying there is a high risk of torturous death.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 23 May 2025
The gleeful cruelty contained in these images is downright gut-churning, and makes for a necessary foundation to later moments of the elderly, fugitive Mengele being forced to confront his torturous wrongdoings.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 May 2025
Transitions and transformations can be fraught, even torturous.
—Nicole Stanton, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for torturous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturous
Adjective
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Their venom, similar to a bee’s or wasp’s, results in a painful, itchy pustule or blister on the skin.—
Gareth McGrath,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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Once Schaefer’s emotional moment was done, the rest of the conversations ranged from mildly awkward to borderline painful.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
Adjective
-
Come spring, the Ranger III carries everything from outhouses and diesel fuel for the generators to construction supplies to repair whatever damage Mother Nature did to facilities over the harsh winter.—
Diana Lambdin Meyer,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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Yet the harshest critic is often the one in the mirror.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Watching Spencer unravel and knowing Toby was playing this double agent game was agonizing.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2025
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As recognition of Bechdel’s talents grew, her methods became more laborious, her subject matter more agonizing.—
Charlie Tyson,
New Yorker,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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What is a totalitarian leader other than an individualist taking that creed to its cruel conclusions, erasing the uniqueness of every other person into mere characters in a drama?—
Ed Simon
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
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This realization reconfigures the entire book, recasting their ongoing dialogue and seemingly cordial relations as an interstellar jail—and the novel itself into an extended, especially cruel prison sentence.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
21 June 2025
Adjective
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After cutting edge surgery Angela Sutphin is without excruciating pain in her right arm and can get a full night’s sleep.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
20 June 2025
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The disease, which has no cure, is known to cause excruciating pain and fatigue, and can lead to serious complications, including strokes, lung problems and organ damage.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Beijing is also working to draw Europe closer as the continent faces intense pressure from Washington; for example, China has lifted sanctions on members of the European Parliament and dangled other concessions ahead of an EU-Chinese summit scheduled for July 2025.—
Oriana Skylar Mastro,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
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Moster has long been a target of intense scorn in the Orthodox world.—
Asaf Elia-Shalev,
Sun Sentinel,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torturous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturous. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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