as in tortured
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as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to
he was tormented by nightmares about the accident
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Recent Examples of tormented
Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 24 Apr. 2026
He is tormented by the Road Runner again and again and again.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
May 2026 will mark five years of me being free from drugs, alcohol, and the mental illness that tormented me for years.
—Midsi Sanchez, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
Continuing his comeback from brain surgery in September 2023, Woodland experienced no problems with PTSD, a frightening condition that has tormented him off and on the past several months.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
As Amadeus’ brilliance continues to flourish in spite of his personal demons, a questionable reputation and scepticism from the conservative court, Salieri becomes increasingly tormented by this apparent divine gift.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
She is tormented by the fact that the june bug seems entirely unconcerned about becoming bait or being deported.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
But Jane isn't exactly tormented by the outcome.
—H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
In Thomas Bernhard’s The Loser, Wertheimer, tormented by encountering a genius in the form of fellow piano student Glenn Gould, gives up his dreams of performing and moves in with his sister.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
Any scholar of religion and a lot of ordinary Christians know that the Pharisees who tormented Jesus and the Roman Empire were not elite but lower-middle-class.
—Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 24 Apr. 2026
He is tormented by the Road Runner again and again and again.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
May 2026 will mark five years of me being free from drugs, alcohol, and the mental illness that tormented me for years.
—Midsi Sanchez, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
Continuing his comeback from brain surgery in September 2023, Woodland experienced no problems with PTSD, a frightening condition that has tormented him off and on the past several months.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
As Amadeus’ brilliance continues to flourish in spite of his personal demons, a questionable reputation and scepticism from the conservative court, Salieri becomes increasingly tormented by this apparent divine gift.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
She is tormented by the fact that the june bug seems entirely unconcerned about becoming bait or being deported.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
But Jane isn't exactly tormented by the outcome.
—H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
In Thomas Bernhard’s The Loser, Wertheimer, tormented by encountering a genius in the form of fellow piano student Glenn Gould, gives up his dreams of performing and moves in with his sister.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tormented
Adjective
-
Patrick McTigue, chair of the planning board, voted last and cast the deciding vote — but not before taking a long and tortured pause.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
-
McIlroy had a tortured career at Augusta prior to the last two years.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Corruption cases reminiscent of the scandals that plagued the political elite that Milei vowed to overthrow have added to his challenges, with his close ally and chief of staff, Manuel Adorni, now under investigation for the misuse of public funds.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Despite the child molestation claims that plagued Jackson for decades, his fans have demonstrated a number of times that the answer is yes.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Premier League side will be happy to have ridden out that wave, but will feel frustrated that its second penalty of the semifinal was overturned.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
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Now, following Tuesday's announcement that the state is seeking a new contractor to complete the rebuild project, Romiti is even more frustrated.—
Ashley Paul,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Walker, however, agreed with the majority that the president cannot deport migrants to countries where they will be persecuted or strip them of mandatory procedures that protect against their removal.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Walker, however, agreed with the majority that the president cannot deport migrants to countries where they will be persecuted or strip them of mandatory procedures that protect against their removal.—
Michael Kunzelman,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In past times of tension and conflict, Iran has at times harassed shipping though the narrows, and during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, both sides attacked tankers and other vessels, using naval mines to completely shut down traffic at points.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
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In past times of tension and conflict, Iran has at times harassed shipping though the narrows, and during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, both sides attacked tankers and other vessels, using naval mines to completely shut down traffic at points.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In 1602, she was afflicted by a slew of symptoms, such as convulsions, fits, and terrors.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Once diagnosed, pancreatic cancer has been a death sentence for those afflicted in the vast majority of cases.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In a similar vein, the Business section featured an article on our inequitable national tax structure, which enables the wealthy to grow their wealth while most people, besieged by income taxes and rising property taxes, struggle.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
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Early on, the Biden team had been besieged with desperate pleas to ship more of the then scarce vaccine.—
David Blumenthal,
STAT,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Why is any of this happening in person, rather than over harried texts?—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
-
During their harried getaway, Rodriguez crashed the scooter a few blocks away.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tormented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tormented. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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