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Glite Dictionary
😖 Inflicting pain 💔 Extremely painful
torturing

torturing

7.9
Causing very strong physical or mental pain
  • adjective
  • /ˈtɔːrtʃərɪŋ/
  • Offensive
translation icon : torturante
  • The torturing pain in his leg made it impossible to walk.

It's not torturing for a billion years, a trillion years.

Examples

  • She endured a torturing wait for the test results to arrive.

  • The torturing pain made it hard to concentrate.

  • His silence was more torturing than any harsh words could have been.

  • He was in a torturing situation that lasted for hours.

  • The torturing headache kept her from focusing on her work.

  • He experienced torturing grief after the loss of his beloved pet.

  • The torturing heat of the sun made their hike nearly unbearable.

Synonyms

excruciating
vstorturing
46 7.9

Causing very strong physical or mental pain

describes extreme pain but not necessarily the very highest intensity
harrowing
vstorturing
27 8.2

Causing very strong fear or sadness

focuses on pain and suffering rather than emotional sorrow and anxiety
torturous
vstorturing
  • Offensive
16 8.4

Causing very strong pain to the body or mind

focuses on causing extreme pain or general distress
agonizing
vstorturing
  • US
7 5.9

Causing very strong physical or emotional pain

covers extreme pain or distress without stressing both types
torturesome
vstorturing
  • Offensive
9.9

Causing very strong physical or mental pain

focuses on causing extreme pain rather than also experiencing it
punishing
vstorturing
6.5

Hard to do and leaves you very tired

means extreme pain or suffering rather than difficulty or effort

Antonyms

soothing
81 2.9

That makes pain or worry feel less strong

painless
39 1.0

Not causing physical hurt or emotional upset

How Painful

excruciating
46 7.9
torturing
  • Offensive
7.9
distressing
  • Specialized
36 4.6
painful
737 1.0

Surface Forms

torturing positive

Morphology

torturing = torture (transparent) = torture + ing

Present participle used adjectivally from the verb 'torture'; the adjective means 'causing or involving torture', directly related to the verb.

Etymology

Torturing comes from the old Latin word torquere, which means 'to twist'. That image of 'twisting' helps you remember why torturing describes something that causes extreme pain or a very painful, deeply upsetting experience.