Torture — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈtȯr-chər/ tor·ture

Meaning & Definition of Torture

Torture (noun)

  1. the infliction of intense pain (as from burning, crushing, or wounding) to punish, coerce, or afford sadistic pleasure
  2. something that causes agony or pain
  3. anguish of body or mind, agony

Torture (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

Torture (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a situation or state that causes great suffering and unhappiness

    "it's torture for me to see you so unhappy"

    similar: agony, Gehenna, hell, horror, misery, murder, nightmare, torment
    related: affliction, calvary, cross, curse, ordeal, trial, tribulation, calamity, misfortune, tragedy, gall, thorn, bummer, downer, drag
    opposite: heaven, paradise
    near: delight, diversion, entertainment, fun, joy, pleasure, recreation, lark, picnic, riot

  2. 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"

    similar: affliction, agony, anguish, distress, excruciation, hurt, misery, pain, rack, strait(s), torment, travail, tribulation, woe
    related: discomfort, cross, crucible, trial, heartache, heartbreak, joylessness, sadness, sorrow, unhappiness, emergency, pinch, asperity, difficulty, hardship, rigor, ache, pang, smarting, soreness, stitch, throe, twinge, danger, jeopardy, trouble
    near: comfort, consolation, solace, alleviation, assuagement, ease, relief, peace, security, well-being

Torture (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause persistent suffering to

    "the neighbor's dog constantly tortures our cat, barking at him and chasing him down the street"

    similar: afflict, agonize, anguish, bedevil, beset, besiege, curse, excruciate, harrow, persecute, plague, rack, torment
    related: assail, attack, badger, dog, hound, pursue, ride, aggravate, agitate, annoy, bother, bug, chafe, distress, disturb, exasperate, gall, get, grate, gripe, hagride, harass, harry, irk, irritate, molest, nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put out, rasp, rile, vex, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, fluster, grieve, perturb, strain, stress, trouble, try, upset, worry, crush, oppress, overpower, overwhelm, smite, strike, tyrannize, victimize, hurt, pain, pang, prick, smart, stab, sting, wring, martyr
    near: abet, aid, assist, help, deliver, release, relieve, reprieve, comfort, console, content, quiet, solace, soothe, succor

  2. to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition

    "tortured her naturally straight hair into curls"

    similar: contort, deform, distort, misshape, screw, squinch, warp
    related: deface, disfigure, wrench, wrest, wring, coil, curl, loop, spiral, twine, wind, wreathe
    near: straighten, unbend, uncurl

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Torture

The most common words with a similar meaning to Torture:

agony, Gehenna, hell, horror, misery, murder, nightmare, torment, affliction, anguish, distress, excruciation, hurt, pain, rack, strait(s), travail, tribulation, woe, afflict, agonize, bedevil, beset, besiege, curse, excruciate, harrow, persecute, plague, contort, deform, distort, misshape, screw, squinch, warp

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Torture

Words with the opposite meaning of Torture:

heaven, paradise

Related Words for Torture

calvary, cross, ordeal, trial, calamity, misfortune, tragedy, gall, thorn, bummer, downer, drag, discomfort, crucible, heartache, heartbreak, joylessness, sadness, sorrow, unhappiness, emergency, pinch, asperity, difficulty, hardship, rigor, ache, pang, smarting, soreness

Near Antonyms of Torture

delight, diversion, entertainment, fun, joy, pleasure, recreation, lark, picnic, riot, comfort, consolation, solace, alleviation, assuagement, ease, relief, peace, security, well-being, abet, aid, assist, help, deliver, release, relieve, reprieve, console, content

Word Forms of Torture

Inflections: tortured, torturing

Derived words: torturer (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Torture

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

First known use: 1540

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Torture

Words & Phrases Containing Torture

self-torture

Frequently Asked Questions about Torture

What does "Torture" mean?

"Torture" means the infliction of intense pain (as from burning, crushing, or wounding) to punish, coerce, or afford sadistic pleasure. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: the infliction of intense pain (as from burning, crushing, or wounding) to punish, coerce, or afford sadistic pleasure. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Torture"?

Other words for "Torture" include agony, Gehenna, hell, horror, misery, murder, nightmare and torment. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Torture" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Torture"?

There are 139 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Torture". Common alternatives include agony, Gehenna, hell, horror, misery, murder, nightmare, torment, affliction and anguish.

What is the opposite of "Torture"?

Antonyms of "Torture" include heaven and paradise. Near antonyms include delight, diversion, entertainment and fun.

How do you use "Torture" in a sentence?

Examples of "Torture" in a sentence: "it's torture for me to see you so unhappy"; "spent an afternoon in torture waiting to hear whether her brother had made it home safely"; "the neighbor's dog constantly tortures our cat, barking at him and chasing him down the street".

Is "Torture" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Torture" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Torture" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Torture" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Torture"?

"Torture" is pronounced /ˈtȯr-chər/ and divided into syllables as tor·ture.