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 The industry’s torturous financing raises alarms for Zitron. — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 21 June 2026 For Tehran, an end to Israeli attacks on its most significant ally in the region has always been a central demand amid the torturous negotiations to end the three-month old conflict. — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 20 June 2026 Good luck—these tiny, torturous bugs seem to be hard to dispose of, but there is a way to lure them in and disable them. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 16 June 2026 Shinnecock Hills is full of triangles — sneaky but massive, and always torturous triangles. — Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 16 June 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
  • Every defendant has the right to appeal, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the Metcalf family in the painful wake of last week's hearing.
    — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The 55-year-old previously missed several weeks of the talk show amid recovery from painful gum surgery.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of painful
Adjective
  • Prosecutors plan to seek a two-year extension at an April hearing, and the families of both victims delivered wrenching impact statements in court.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Bono penned a wrenching tribute to Hansard on the day of his death.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of wrenching
Adjective
  • It has been said that the Moon is a harsh mistress, and nowhere is this more apparent than at the lunar south pole.
    — Space.com Staff, Space.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Maybe, then, Bohm is a lesson for even the harshest skeptics.
    — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of harsh
Adjective
  • While the Reeder family continues to wait for answers — from psychics or elsewhere — Sophie’s father has begun to make peace with the agonizing situation that has now prompted authorities to seek clarity from the beyond.
    — Amanda Musa, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The group’s predictions are nightmarish and agonizing to even contemplate.
    — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of agonizing
Adjective
  • Success can feel like a cruel tease, fleetingly unattainable and yet when finally achieved, too dangerous to enjoy too long.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • If Russia behaved badly, that was the fault of its primitive and cruel Asian side, a notion that conveniently created the fiction that Western countries are not capable of similar cruelty.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • The pain seemed excruciating, with the Morocco international taken off on a stretcher holding his shirt over his face.
    — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The threat to major oil companies that employ up to 100,000 workers must have been excruciating until vaccines eventually appeared to stem the tide.
    — Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of excruciating
Adjective
  • The retail offering was oversubscribed 5,500 times, underscoring intense investor demand for the profitable company, which shipped 5,500 humanoids in 2025.
    — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • That points to the conclusion that the pain for Main Street is likely to remain intense for the foreseeable future, even as Wall Street continues to prosper.
    — Matt Peterson, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of intense

Browse Nearby Words

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 26 Aug. 2026.

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