1
as in nightmares
a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness
it's torture for me to see you so unhappy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pains
a state of great suffering of body or mind
spent an afternoon in torture waiting to hear whether her brother had made it home safely
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in plagues
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 distorts
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 tortures
Noun
-
To some, this might be the stuff of nightmares and horror movies.—
Tony Perrottet,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Mar. 2025 -
Sometimes his nightmares are tied to past regrets.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Fear of failure blocks action, dissuades discovery and growth, distorts reality, and creates inaccurate and unfounded narratives.—
Scott Mautz, Contributor,
CNBC,
14 Mar. 2025
-
This escalation further distorts trade, forcing both cities to produce goods outside their comparative advantages.—
Richard Menger MD MPA,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The edits were originally flagged by The Washington Post, which reported that changes stripped away key references to Harriet Tubman and softened language that once plainly conveyed the horrors of slavery.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
The four-time major champion will be back at Augusta for his 11th go at the career grand slam, but land of the Azaleas has been a house of horrors at times for the Northern Irishman.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
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
“Tortures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortures. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share