afflict

,

try

,

torment

,

torture

,

rack

mean to inflict on a person something that is hard to bear.

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

try

suggests imposing something that strains the powers of endurance or of self-control.

children often

try

their parents’ patience

torment

suggests persecution or the repeated inflicting of suffering or annoyance.

a horse

tormented

by flies

torture

adds the implication of causing unbearable pain or suffering.

tortured

by a sense of guilt

rack

stresses straining or wrenching.

a body

racked

by pain

Examples of

torture

in a Sentence

Noun

Waiting is just

torture

for me.

Listening to him can be

torture

.

Verb

The report revealed that prisoners had been repeatedly

tortured

.

Don’t

torture

yourself over the mistake.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Survivors of the camps report experiencing or witnessing widespread abuse, and incidents of

torture

, rape and forced sterilisation.

—

James Griffiths,

CNN

, “From cover-up to propaganda blitz: China’s attempts to control the narrative on Xinjiang,” 16 Apr. 2021

The statement added that the S-21 facility held thousands of Cambodians, including the elderly and children, who were subjected to

torture

, hunger, interrogation and, eventually, violent deaths.

—

Washington Post

, “Vice published altered photos showing Cambodian genocide victims smiling. It unleashed an uproar.,” 11 Apr. 2021

By 1992, the United States had sent more than $4 billion to the government of El Salvador, despite reports of

torture

, rape, killings and massacres.

—

New York Times

, “Their Lawsuit Prevented 400,000 Deportations. Now It’s Biden’s Call.,” 7 Apr. 2021

Johnson, 35, was arrested March 24 after being indicted last October on charges of willful

torture

, willful abuse and cruelly beating or otherwise willfully maltreating a child under the age of 18.

—

William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com,

al

, “Alabama Shakes drummer Steve Johnson released on bond in child torture case,” 7 Apr. 2021

The condition has been backed up not just by psychiatric case studies but by dozens of studies involving victims of child abuse, natural disaster,

torture

, rape, kidnapping, wartime violence and other trauma.

—

Joshua Kendall,

Scientific American

, “Forgotten Memories of Traumatic Events Get Some Backing from Brain-Imaging Studies,” 6 Apr. 2021

Johnson faces charges of willful

torture

, willful abuse and cruelly beating or otherwise willfully maltreating a child under the age of 18, the Associated Press reports.

—

Daniel Kreps,

Rolling Stone

, “Alabama Shakes Drummer Steve Johnson Arrested on Child Abuse Charges,” 28 Mar. 2021

Steven William Johnson, 35, has been indicted on charges of willful

torture

, willful abuse and cruelly beating or otherwise willfully maltreating a child under age 18, according to reports.

—

Fox News

, “Alabama Shakes ex-drummer Steven Johnson arrested on child abuse charges,” 28 Mar. 2021

This is Granny Goodness, another servant of Darkseid who trains elite soldiers for her lord using a combination of sadism,

torture

, and brainwashing.

—

James Grebey,

Vulture

, “Every Single Easter Egg in Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” 18 Mar. 2021

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Director Emerald Fennell’s powerful revenge drama about a woman’s (Carey Mulligan) quest to

torture

toxic men mostly features white women both onscreen and off.

—

USA Today

, “Report card: Would this year’s Oscar best picture nominees meet 2024 inclusion standards?,” 19 Apr. 2021

Because medical inequity is just an extra-credit topic of Perillos’; her real task is, of course, to

torture

information about the Sikorsky Archive out of Dembe for Townsend, and by proxy, Liz.

—

Jodi Walker,

EW.com

, “The Blacklist recap: The brazen bull,” 13 Mar. 2021

Before any trial, Thomas was hunted and killed by a posse formed by Sheriff Willis McCall, who also ordered his deputies to

torture

the other men in the basement under the Lake County Jail.

—

Monivette Cordeiro,

orlandosentinel.com

, “Attorney who defended Groveland Four honored with bust at Wells’ Built Museum,” 26 Mar. 2021

Gacy would lure his victims into his home, sometimes offering to show them a magic trick, before locking them in handcuffs to

torture

and kill them.

—

oregonlive

, “John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise documentary out now | Free live stream info, how to watch online with Peacock,” 25 Mar. 2021

Over the course of the day, the criminals basically

torture

this family, and through fourth-wall breaks, Haneke interrogates why people would even want to watch something like this, illuminating what art can reveal about the dark side of humanity.

—

Brian Tallerico,

Vulture

, “The 100 Best Movies on HBO Max,” 1 Feb. 2021

No one’s purely on the side of good here, and the characters

torture

each other as Kemp’s obsession grows more intense and his chances to start over begin to dim.

—

Keith Phipps,

Vulture

, “The 50 Greatest Western Movies of All Time,” 18 Jan. 2021

Never has an incumbent gone to such unconscionable lengths to

torture

the truth, bend laws and use intimidation to foil the will of the people.

—

Steve Chapman,

chicagotribune.com

, “Column: Republicans bowing to Trump are undermining American democracy,” 11 Dec. 2020

Santana Khanikar, assistant professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, writes in her book on state violence that

torture

in police stations is so routine, it is often used to impress spectators.

—

Mohit Rao,

CNN

, “Indian police use violence as a shortcut to justice. It’s the poorest who bear the scars,” 2 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘torture.’ Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors.

Send us feedback

.

First Known Use of

torture

Noun

1540, in the meaning defined at

sense 2b

Verb

1588, in the meaning defined at

sense 1

History and Etymology for

torture

Noun

Middle French, from Old French, from Late Latin

tortura

, from Latin

tortus

, past participle of

torquēre

to twist; probably akin to Old High German

drāhsil

turner, Greek

atraktos

spindle

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Learn More about

torture

From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

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torture

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Statistics for

torture

Last Updated

23 Apr 2021

Look-up Popularity

Cite this Entry

“Torture.”

Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary

, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torture. Accessed 1 May. 2021.

Style:

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APA

Merriam-Webster

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More Definitions for

torture

torture

noun

English Language Learners Definition of

torture

(Entry 1 of 2)

:

the act of causing severe physical pain as a form of punishment or as a way to force someone to do or say something

:

something that causes mental or physical suffering

:

a very painful or unpleasant experience

torture

verb

English Language Learners Definition of

torture

(Entry 2 of 2)

:

to cause (someone) to experience severe physical pain especially as a form of punishment or to force that person to do or say something

:

to cause (someone) to feel very worried, unhappy, etc.

See the full definition for

torture

in the English Language Learners Dictionary

torture

noun

tor·ture

ˈtȯr-chər

Kids Definition of

torture

(Entry 1 of 2)

:

the act of causing great pain especially to punish or to obtain a confession

:

distress of body or mind

Waiting is just

torture

for me.

torture

verb

tortured

;

torturing

Kids Definition of

torture

(Entry 2 of 2)

:

to punish or force someone to do or say something by causing great pain

:

to cause great suffering to

Other Words from

torture

torturer

noun

Keep scrolling for more

Torturing.net

Definition of TORTURE

torture