TORMENT Synonyms: 168 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'torment' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of torment are afflict , rack , torture , and try . While all these words mean "to inflict on a person something that is hard to bear," torment suggests persecution or the repeated inflicting of suffering or annoyance. // a horse tormented by flies

Q: Where would 'afflict' be a reasonable alternative to 'torment'?

While the synonyms afflict and torment are close in meaning, afflict is a general term and applies to the causing of pain or suffering or of acute annoyance, embarrassment, or any distress. // ills that afflict the elderly

Q: When could 'rack' be used to replace 'torment'?

The words rack and torment are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rack stresses straining or wrenching. // a body racked by pain

Q: When is 'torture' a more appropriate choice than 'torment'?

In some situations, the words torture and torment are roughly equivalent. However, torture adds the implication of causing unbearable pain or suffering. // tortured by a sense of guilt

Q: When might 'try' be a better fit than 'torment'?

While in some cases nearly identical to torment , try suggests imposing something that strains the powers of endurance or of self-control. // children often try their parents' patience

torment 1 of 2

noun

ˈtȯr-ˌment

Definition of torment next

as in agony

a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness the released soldiers gave interviews trying to explain to civilians the torment that prisoners of war experience

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in distress

a state of great suffering of body or mind was in torment for weeks after he broke up with his girlfriend

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in demon

a source of persistent emotional distress insomnia that was caused by a host of nighttime torments

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torment

2 of 2

verb

tȯr-ˈment

as in to plague

to cause persistent suffering to he was tormented by nightmares about the accident

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word torment different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of torment are afflict, rack, torture, and try. While all these words mean "to inflict on a person something that is hard to bear," torment suggests persecution or the repeated inflicting of suffering or annoyance.

a horse tormented by flies

Where would afflict be a reasonable alternative to torment?

While the synonyms afflict and torment are close in meaning, afflict is a general term and applies to the causing of pain or suffering or of acute annoyance, embarrassment, or any distress.

ills that afflict the elderly

When could rack be used to replace torment?

The words rack and torment are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rack stresses straining or wrenching.

a body racked by pain

When is torture a more appropriate choice than torment?

In some situations, the words torture and torment are roughly equivalent. However, torture adds the implication of causing unbearable pain or suffering.

tortured by a sense of guilt

When might try be a better fit than torment?

While in some cases nearly identical to torment, try suggests imposing something that strains the powers of endurance or of self-control.

children often try their parents' patience

Examples 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 torment

Noun

Doing a favor for some extra cash turns into a night of demonic torment in a fright fest steeped in lore and historical connections. —

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024 The whipping-sound phone app was well known among students and became a tool of racial torment used to humiliate and degrade Black students during the 2022-2023 school year, the lawsuit alleges. —

Ben Poston, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024

Verb

Vikings 23, Jets 13: Aaron Rodgers has tormented the Vikings over the course of his career. —

Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 4 Oct. 2024 Advertisement Some members in the audience showed up in costume but none could compete with the wondrously weird mélange of butoh dance, shadow puppetry, ghosts of various varieties, nurses seeming straight out of horror films along with models, tormented and otherwise. —

Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for torment

Recent Examples of Synonyms for torment

Noun

Compared to the agony and the ecstasy on display in McQueen’s extraordinary Small Axe compilation, which celebrated the United Kingdom’s diaspora culture while forcing the country to reckon with its institutionally racist past, this might seem like weak tea.

David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024
The movie One of the darkest true stories on this list, An American Crime never undersells or soft-pedals the ceaseless agony of Likens’ ordeal.

Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024