Torment
/ˈtɔː(ɹ)mɛnt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A catapult or other kind of war-engine. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 2 the act of harassing someone wordnet
- 3 Torture, originally as inflicted by an instrument of torture. countable, uncountable
"I've gone through living torment."
- 4 a severe affliction wordnet
- 5 Any extreme pain, anguish or misery, either physical or mental. countable, uncountable
"He was bitter from the torments of the divorce."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain wordnet
- 7 extreme mental distress wordnet
- 8 a feeling of intense annoyance caused by being tormented wordnet
- 9 unbearable physical pain wordnet
Verb
- 1 To cause severe suffering to (stronger than to vex but weaker than to torture.) transitive
"The child tormented the flies by pulling their wings off."
- 2 subject to torture wordnet
- 3 torment emotionally or mentally wordnet
- 4 treat cruelly wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"I was a constant torment to my parents."
Etymology
From Middle English torment, from Old French torment, from Latin tormentum (“something operated by twisting”), from torquere (“to twist”).