variants
also tormenter
as in tease
a person who causes repeated emotional pain, distress, or annoyance to another
shocked by the news that his chief tormentor from elementary school had written a book about the dangers of bullying
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tormentor
If the tormenters keep it up, grackles do eventually move.
—
Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
As a child, Heathcliff’s main tormenter is Cathy’s brother, Hindley, who physically abuses Heathcliff and forces him to work in the stables as a servant.
—Becky Little, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
And her tormentors are all abruptly, painfully departing the scene or, at the very least, becoming ensnared in one humiliation after another.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
Jeffrey Tambor is the corrupt Mayor of Whoville and the Grinch’s lifelong tormenter, Augustus May Who, who sets his hatred of Christmas in motion.
—Danny Horn, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tormentor
Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
As a child, Heathcliff’s main tormenter is Cathy’s brother, Hindley, who physically abuses Heathcliff and forces him to work in the stables as a servant.
—Becky Little, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
And her tormentors are all abruptly, painfully departing the scene or, at the very least, becoming ensnared in one humiliation after another.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
Jeffrey Tambor is the corrupt Mayor of Whoville and the Grinch’s lifelong tormenter, Augustus May Who, who sets his hatred of Christmas in motion.
—Danny Horn, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tormentor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tormentor
Noun
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That’s why the pretty-much-annual fleeting tease like a High Point is so embraced and celebrated.—
Greg Cote
Updated March 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
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That’s my opaque tease of what’s to come.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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His torturers shattered his hands and paraded him around the stadium, taunting him to try to play his guitar.—
Christina Hioureas,
Rolling Stone,
22 Mar. 2026
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In an early scene, an auto mechanic named Vahid recognizes his former torturer by the distinctive squeak of his prosthetic leg.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Of course, that conservative approach is often wrecked by QB harassers such as Lawrence and Williams, part of a defense that ranked seventh in the NFL in sacks.—
Eric Branch,
San Francisco Chronicle,
17 Jan. 2026
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Instead, the lawsuit argued, law enforcement in the area where the harasser lived should have served the papers.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Dec. 2025
Noun
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These determine whether technological acceleration remains a source of broad benefit or becomes a source of brittleness vulnerable to attackers, accidents, or concentrated power.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
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Running the latest version of Windows and your web browser reduces the chances of attackers exploiting older system behaviors or vulnerabilities.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Shakespeare humanizes the Elizabethan stage stereotype of the villainous Jew by giving Shylock ample reason for wanting to get back at his Christian persecutors.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
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Paul was a former persecutor of Christians who became a missionary and was later beheaded in Rome.—
Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
23 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tormentor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tormentor. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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