as in tormented
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in persecuted
to cause persistent suffering to
the neighbor's dog constantly tortures our cat, barking at him and chasing him down the street
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in distorted
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition
tortured her naturally straight hair into curls
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortured
Verb
-
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, with a trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 27, and the S&P 500 Index’s P/E at 24, are both distorted by tech stocks, such as Nvidia (NVDA).—
Lawrence Carrel,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024 -
Has that distorted the trajectory of his adult life?—
Cressida Leyshon,
The New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
For example, the same researchers at Cornell University who invented the new goggles have previously shown a reduction in blood flow in the brains of mice afflicted with the condition.—
Michael Franco,
New Atlas,
29 Dec. 2024
-
Terrified, the patient almost reflexively asked her surgeon to remove both of her breasts, even though the cancer afflicted only one side.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Ripley then signed the contract and left with it, followed by a visibly frustrated Adam Pearce.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
-
Others were organized by labor unions, special interest groups, fired federal workers or just frustrated Americans.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA TODAY,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
After jumping out to a 9-2 start this season, the Phoenix Suns have sputtered over the past month as injuries have besieged their Big Three.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes,
26 Dec. 2024
-
The wealthiest man in the world used his social media platform X to amplify the unrest, and GOP lawmakers were besieged with phone calls to their offices telling them to oppose the plan.—
Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking,
The Christian Science Monitor,
20 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The old woman, though, stares at the screen, the shadow of a smile curled into her lips and a frown barely creasing her forehead.—
Matthew Bremner,
Rolling Stone,
5 Jan. 2025
-
The ball curled through the proverbial eye of a needle, between Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez, and behind Alexis Mac Allister, who was forced to spin on his heels.—
Laurie Whitwell,
The Athletic,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
But beyond those elite few prospects, why would coaches play or pay freshmen instead of the veterans, the tested and proven Division I players, now available in what amounts to forever free agency?—
CJ Moore,
The Athletic,
25 July 2024
-
There is no reliable and tested method that can say that a certain volcano will erupt on a certain day or at a certain time.—
Erik Klemetti,
Discover Magazine,
29 Feb. 2024
Adjective
-
The mother was charged with two second-degree counts of aggravated assault, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, one count of first-degree witness tampering with threat of force, and one count of third-degree hindering, per Daily Voice.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
22 Mar. 2025
-
The actor was charged with three counts of third-degree assault, one count of second-degree harassment and one count of aggravated harassment.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Mags and Angela feel an intense connection that Ash circles around as well, and the attraction leads the harried, often-at-odds married couple to explore their own relationship together and apart.—
Randy Myers,
The Mercury News,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Berlin writes about harried and divorced single women, many of them in working-class jobs, with uncanny grace.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
8 July 2024
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.
Cite this Entry
“Tortured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortured. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share