torture

noun
UK: /ˈtɔː.tʃər/
US: /ˈtɔːr.tʃɚ/

  1. Severe pain or suffering inflicted especially as a punishment or to force someone to do or say something.

    1. The prisoner confessed after days of torture. [ ] [ ]
    2. The constant noise from the construction site was a form of mental torture. [ ] [ ]

  2. Something that causes great mental suffering or worry.

    1. Waiting for the exam results was pure torture. [ ] [ ]
    2. It's just torture to watch him suffer with this condition. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

rack persecution wring maltreat excruciate torment agony suffering cruelty abuse distort
torture verb

  1. To inflict severe pain or suffering on someone as a punishment or in order to force them to do or say something.

    1. They torture prisoners for information. [ ] [ ]
    2. The kidnappers tortured him until he revealed the location of the money. [ ] [ ]

  2. To cause someone great mental suffering or worry.

    1. The guilt of what I had done tortured me. [ ] [ ]
    2. It would torture him to think that he had hurt his friend's feelings. [ ] [ ]

  3. To twist or distort something in order to change its meaning or appearance.

    1. He tortured the facts to suit his own agenda. [ ] [ ]
    2. The journalist was accused of torturing the data to support his claims. [ ] [ ]
torture adjective

  1. Extremely painful or difficult.

    1. The traffic jam was torture. [ ] [ ]
    2. The heat was a torture during our vacation. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "torture" in English means: Severe pain or suffering inflicted especially as a punishment or to force someone to do or say something., Something that causes great mental suffering or worry..

The phonetic transcription of "torture" is /ˈtɔː.tʃər/ in British English and /ˈtɔːr.tʃɚ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "torture": rack, persecution, wring, maltreat, excruciate, torment, agony, suffering, cruelty, abuse, distort.

Example usage of "torture": "The prisoner confessed after days of torture.". More examples on the page.