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Glite Dictionary
self-torment

self-torment

8.6
To make yourself feel sad or guilty on purpose by replaying past events
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛlfˌtɔr.mɛnt/
translation icon : autotormento
  • He struggled with self-torment, often replaying his past mistakes in his mind.

Examples

  • She realized that her constant self-torment was holding her back from true happiness.

  • The artist's self-torment often fueled his creativity, leading to the most profound works.

  • Keep another on your nightstand to punish yourself with longing, to prolong your self-torment.

    Fiction book (1996)

Synonyms

torment
vsself-torment
  • NSFW
70 5.6

Great physical or mental pain someone feels

is self-inflicted deliberate emotional suffering rather than general severe pain caused externally
self-torture
vsself-torment
1 7.4

Causing yourself pain by thinking a lot about bad things

is deliberate self-imposed emotional suffering not limited to repetitive thinking
self-punishment
vsself-torment
1 7.5

Making yourself suffer because you feel guilty

focuses on deliberate distress without needing guilt or punishment motive
self-abasement
vsself-torment
1 9.3

Act of making yourself feel ashamed to show you are sorry

is deliberate emotional suffering not focused on humiliating oneself for atonement
self-mortification
vsself-torment
  • NSFW
9.9

A practice of hurting yourself on purpose to show discipline or say sorry, often for religious reasons

is deliberate mental or emotional suffering rather than physical or ritual pain

Antonyms

self-love
3 4.3

Caring for your own happiness and well-being

How Severe

self-torture
1 7.4
self-torment
8.6
worry
290 1.0

Surface Forms

self-torment singular
self-torments plural

Morphology

self-torment = self + torment (transparent) = self + torment

The meaning is a straightforward combination of 'self' + 'torment' meaning 'torment inflicted on oneself', which is readily inferable by learners.

Etymology

Self-torment is made of self ('by yourself') and torment ('great pain' or 'torture'), giving a picture of someone 'torturing' their own feelings. So, it means making yourself feel strong emotional pain on purpose.