as in tormented
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tortured
Emma Specter, Vogue, 25 Dec. 2025
Travis Kelce is a poet — but certainly not a tortured one.
—Denise Warner, Billboard, 23 Dec. 2025
Survivor’s tribal councils of late have been awfully fond of Probst and the players indulging in tortured metaphors about the game, so Coach at least appears ready to engage with the current Survivor Zeitgeist.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
But there is psychology to be explored there beneath all that journeyman genius, and Greiving knows how to get at it, even if his subject is in most ways the opposite of a tortured or oft-thwarted soul like a Bernard Herrmann.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 16 Dec. 2025
He still feels caught in the tortured relations between the two Asian neighbors, between which tensions still simmer over Japan's brutal colonial rule.
—New York Times, 13 Dec. 2025
As such, the moon will appear particularly spectacular through the eyepiece of a backyard telescope with an aperture of around 6-inches, which will reveal stunning detail in the tortured surface of Earth's ancient companion.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 29 Nov. 2025
The film is a more quiet, wintry contemplation and tortured soul-searching.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
The film is a more quiet, wintry contemplation and tortured soul-searching.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
Laura Romero, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2025
Of the few that have arrived in what Saraf describes as a small agricultural town, many have reported being beaten and tortured by different militia groups stationed along the treacherous route between El Fasher and Tawila.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
Daniel is just one of an unknown number of migrants who are currently being tortured on a near daily basis, somewhere in Libya’s Sahara Desert.
—Mick Krever, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Combined with the numbers injured, detained or tortured, at least one percent of the Strip’s population suffered first-hand from Israeli violence during the first occupation.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Maloyan served as Archbishop of Mardin from 1911 to 1915 and was tortured and killed after refusing to convert to Islam.
—Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
In addition to Longo, Pope Leo elevated six other men and women to sainthood, including an Armenian archbishop tortured and killed after refusing to renounce Catholicism, a Venezuelan physician who dedicated his service to the poor and several nuns who spent decades helping the downtrodden.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Wuornos entered a not guilty plea and took the stand — testifying that she was assaulted, raped, and tortured by Malloy during their encounter and only shot him to get away.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
Another 11 suspected Tren de Aragua members were hit with multiple felony charges in December after a couple living in the now-shuttered Edge of Lowry apartments was kidnapped and tortured.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Harge Aird in Carol (2015) God forbid two closeted lesbians have a little fun (okay, emotionally tortured and clandestine fun, but still) without some man coming along to ruin it!
—Verb
The attorneys for the Department of Justice argued that the preliminary injunction blocking Abrego Garcia’s removal to Liberia should be dissolved because the government received assurances from the government of the West African country that he will not be persecuted or tortured.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortured
Verb
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Open Doors is a global Christian charity supporting Christians persecuted for their faith.—
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Most commonly, people felt they were being persecuted via their electronics – that their Wi-Fi networks, computers or cellphones had been hacked or implanted with tracking devices.—
Verb
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Here’s everything to know about her mental health history and the religious influence that allegedly distorted her beliefs.—
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However, the government shutdown, which halted data collection, may have distorted the results.—
Adjective
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The Broncos beat up, bruised, harassed and downright punished Herbert from the start.—
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Some writers who criticized Taylor Swift reported that they and their family members had been threatened, harassed, and doxed.—
Verb
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But the hospital has been plagued by security issues in the last few years, and a contract dispute with the nurses’ union.—
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Commentary and opinions Tim Walz isn’t the only governor plagued by fraud.—
Verb
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American bases built inside the ice sheet, such as Camp Century, were quickly crushed as the encasing snow deformed.—
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One of those difficulties was figuring out how to square the minimal and highly refined designs of Mies and Johnson with the raw and sometimes deformed materials salvaged from RedBird.—
Adjective
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The Eagles’ inconsistency is all about their offense, which retains the talent that won the Super Bowl last year, but has frustrated fans for most of the season.—
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One late-night scene between Agnes and Will is hard to watch, dramatizing the profound distance between her earthbound herbalist mother and his drunk and frustrated writer.—
Verb
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Support for Bass is more mixed, with her current record containing many more failures than have afflicted either Lurie or any other recent Los Angeles mayor.—
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In most cases, the faithful afflicted by the evil one need only a comfortable chair (better if equipped with armrests) to accompany the exorcistic celebration.—
Verb
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Their necks contorted slightly and smiles spread across their faces as the high-definition videos started and their journeys commenced.—
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Mikomi sees images generated by Grok of her wearing specific fetish outfits, or her body contorted or placed in strange contexts.—
Cite this Entry
“Tortured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortured. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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