tor·ment
ˈtȯr-ˌment 
1
: extreme pain or anguish of body or mind : agony
She wrung her hands piteously together, looking like a soul in torment.—
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery2
: a source of vexation or pain
Love is a delight; but hate a torment.—Herman Melville
Herman Melville… the twin torments of his probable manic depression and chronic stomach pains.—Neal Karlen
Neal Karlen3
: the infliction of torture (as by rack or wheel)
tor·ment
tȯr-ˈment
ˈtȯr-ˌment
ˈtȯr-ˌment
tormented; tormenting; torments
1
: to cause severe usually persistent or recurrent distress of body or mind to
cattle tormented by flies
tormented by doubt
She liked me, but she laughed at me, and tormented me …—Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
tormented
adjective
… Emily—who is easily one of the most tormented characters of the show …
—Rowan Born
Rowan Born
The Witch makes the mundane sinister, from the tormented shapes of the corn husks in the field to the weird glow of pewter by candlelight.
—Katy Waldman
Katy Waldman
Synonyms
Examples of torment in a Sentence
Noun
No one could understand his inner torment.
After years of torment, she left her husband.
The mosquitoes were a constant torment.
Verb
Not knowing where she was tormented him.
he was tormented by nightmares about the accident
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott Tobias, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
Hoult is the center of the film and never overplays the torment roiling inside.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2024
Gerrad Hall, EW.com, 4 Nov. 2024
And one more day is one more opportunity to stop Bowser from tormenting me for trying to snooze.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for torment 
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Noun
His ’70s peak was also the peak of the ’70s, but putting masterpieces like the first two Godfather movies, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now in preferential order is a torment, because they could be ranked differently on any other day.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
Hoult is the center of the film and never overplays the torment roiling inside.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
In theaters, Hugh Grant torments and tortures two young Mormon women in Heretic, Judy Greer stars in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and Barry Keoghan plays a young dad in Bird.
—Gerrad Hall, EW.com, 4 Nov. 2024
And one more day is one more opportunity to stop Bowser from tormenting me for trying to snooze.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for torment
Dictionary Entries Near torment
Cite this Entry
“Torment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torment. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
torment
1 of 2 noun
tor·ment
ˈtȯr-ˌment
1
: extreme pain or distress of body or mind
2
: a cause of suffering in mind or body
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