torturous

adjective

ˈtȯrch-rəs How to pronounce torturous (audio)
Definition of torturousnext
1
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally relatives had to make the torturous decision to disconnect the patient's life-support system

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful the post-infection treatment for rabies was as notoriously torturous as the disease itself

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of torturous Legal experts say those costs reflect the challenges that corrections officials face in finding help with carrying out lethal injections, which can subject prisoners to torturous levels of pain. — Max Blau, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2026 But, for the figures on the other end of the camera, the violation is often described as torturous. — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026 San Francisco has found many odd, obscure and torturous ways to lose this season. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026 From 1873 to 1991, the island served as Costa Rica’s principal penitentiary, where some of the country’s worst criminals were sent to serve often short and torturous sentences. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for torturous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturous
  1. painful
  2. wrenching
  3. harsh
  4. agonizing
  5. cruel
  6. excruciating
  7. intense
Adjective
  • Some things are too painful for words, and Crystal knows that sense cannot be made from senselessness.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Once people expect benefits, cutting them off is politically painful.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of painful
Adjective
  • Richard Ables guided families through one of life’s most wrenching rituals at the historic Hall Brothers Funeral Home.
    — Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2026
  • After a quiet episode focused on Hal Jordan’s passing, Lanterns’s penultimate chapter deepens the mystery in surprising and wrenching ways.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of wrenching
Adjective
  • However, perovskites are notoriously vulnerable to moisture and harsh chemical environments, posing a clear problem in seawater.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026
  • With another harsh winter approaching, those still there face death from hunger or disease.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of harsh
Adjective
  • Many of those wins have been agonizing for the Bears to endure like when TCU upset a top-10 Baylor squad in 2021 or when the Horned Frogs scored a walk-off field goal the very next season in Waco to keep their undefeated season alive.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
  • In her book, Dawood writes about an investigator telling her not to go down the agonizing road of hindsight.
    — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of agonizing
Adjective
  • Participants fell into their roles a little too well and, after a prisoner rebellion, increasingly cruel forms of punishment from the guards and a number of students suffering mental breakdowns, the experiment was ended on the sixth day.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026
  • But these townswomen — whether the undersexed Bakerwoman (Ella Bruccoleri ) or the prim, cruel busybody the Tailor’s Wife (a deliciously scheming Elizabeth Debicki) — are deeply unhappy with their own lot in life.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • Tapper, who first became interested in the story while visiting France with his family, used source material in four different languages to chronicle the pursuit for Barbie in excruciating detail.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026
  • That lack of production makes the three-point losses to the Chiefs and Bills even more excruciating for the Raiders.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of excruciating
Adjective
  • The hearing took place amid the intense debate surrounding the risks posed by advanced AI models.
    — Ian Thomas,Colleen McKown, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Sexton’s intense playing style has remained as his career has evolved.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of intense

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torturing
torturous
Tory
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Cite this Entry

“Torturous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torturous. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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