Definition of TORTURE

the infliction of intense pain (as from burning, crushing, or wounding) to punish, coerce, or afford sadistic pleasure… See the full definition

torture


noun


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tor·​ture


|



ˈtȯr-chər


Definition of

torture

(Entry 1 of 2)


1



:

the infliction of intense pain (as from burning, crushing, or wounding) to punish, coerce, or afford sadistic pleasure


2


a



:

something that causes agony or pain


b



:

anguish of body or mind

:



agony



3



:

distortion or overrefinement of a meaning or an argument

:



straining


torture


verb


tortured


;


torturing


ˈtȯrch-​riŋ



,


ˈtȯr-​chə-​

Definition of

torture

(Entry 2 of 2)


transitive verb


1



:

to cause intense suffering to

:



torment



2



:

to punish or coerce by inflicting excruciating pain


3



:

to twist or wrench out of shape

:



distort


,


warp


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Other Words from

torture

Verb


torturer


ˈtȯr-​chər-​ər



noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for

torture

Synonyms: Noun


agony

,


Gehenna

,


hell

,


horror

,


misery

,


murder

,


nightmare

,


torment

Synonyms: Verb


afflict

,


agonize

,


anguish

,


bedevil

,


beset

,


besiege

,


curse

,


excruciate

,


harrow

,


persecute

,


plague

,


rack

,


torment

Antonyms: Noun


heaven

,


paradise


Visit the Thesaurus for More

Choose the Right Synonym for

torture

Verb


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.


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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.

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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

Dictionary Entries near

torture


tortuosity


tortuous


torturable


torture


torturedly


torturesome


torturingly


See More Nearby Entries

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:

MLA


MLA



Chicago



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)


1



:

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


2



:

distress of body or mind

Waiting is just

torture

for me.

torture


verb


tortured


;


torturing

Kids Definition of

torture

(Entry 2 of 2)


1



:

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


2



:

to cause great suffering to

Other Words from

torture


torturer


noun

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torture

Thesaurus:

All synonyms and antonyms for

torture

Nglish:

Translation of

torture

for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English:

Translation of

torture

for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com:

Encyclopedia article about

torture

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torture

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