Meanings
plural torments
- countableobsoleteuncountableA catapult or other kind of war-engine.
- countableuncountableTorture, originally as inflicted by an instrument of torture.
I've gone through living torment.
- countableuncountableAny extreme pain, anguish or misery, either physical or mental.
He behaved bitter from the torments of the divorce.
1 more example
They brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 4:24Synonyms: bale, suffering, woe, misery, pain, wark, anguish, rend
present singular third person torments · participle present tormenting · participle past tormented · past tormented
- transitiveTo cause severe suffering to (stronger than to vex but weaker than to torture.)
The child tormented the flies by pulling their wings off.
2 more examples
Moyes, who never won a derby at Liverpool in 11 years as Everton manager, did not find the Etihad any more forgiving as City picked United apart in midfield, where Toure looked in a different class to United's £27.5m new boy Marouane Fellaini, and in defence as Aguero tormented Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.
2013 September 22, Phil McNulty, “Man City 4-1 Man Utd”, in BBC SportBut the divine children were both noisy and mischievous. They tormented their venerable grandmother with their shrill uproar and tricky behaviour.
1913, Lewis Spence, chapter V, in The Myths of Mexico and PeruSynonyms: afflict, torture, excruciate, ache, afflict, aggrieve, agonize, anguish
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny extreme pain, anguish or misery, either physical or mental.
verbTo cause severe suffering to (stronger than to vex but weaker than to torture.)
More synonyms by meaning
nounintense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain
nouna feeling of intense annoyance caused by being tormented
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latintormentum“something operated by twisting”
- Old Frenchtorment
- Middle Englishtorment
- Englishtorment
From Middle English torment, from Old French torment, from Latin tormentum (“something operated by twisting”), from torquere (“to twist”). Compare native English bale (“suffering, woe, torment”) and English woe.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek βασανίζω
- βασανίζω (basanízō)to cause severe suffering
Arabic عَذَاب, عَذَّبَ
- عَذَاب (ʕaḏāb)extreme pain
- عَذَّبَ (ʕaḏḏaba)to cause severe suffering
Bulgarian мъ́ка, изтеза́ние
- мъ́ка (mắka)extreme pain
- изтеза́ние (iztezánie)extreme pain
- измъчвам (izmăčvam)to cause severe suffering
Catalan turment, turmentar
- turmentextreme pain
- turmentarto cause severe suffering
Chinese Mandarin 苦痛
- 苦痛 (kǔtòng)extreme pain
Czech utrpení, mučení
- utrpeníextreme pain
- mučeníextreme pain
- mukaextreme pain
- souženíextreme pain
- trýzeňextreme pain
- trýznitto cause severe suffering
- soužitto cause severe suffering
Danish smerte, pine
- smerteextreme pain
- pineto cause severe suffering
- plageto cause severe suffering
Dutch kwelling, kwellen
- kwellingextreme pain
- kwellento cause severe suffering
- pijnigento cause severe suffering
Esperanto turmento, turmenti
- turmentoextreme pain
- turmentito cause severe suffering
Estonian piin
- piinextreme pain
Finnish piina, tuska
- piinaextreme pain
- tuskaextreme pain
- piinatato cause severe suffering
French tourment, tourmenter
- tourmentextreme pain
- tourmenterto cause severe suffering
German Qual, quälen
- Qualextreme pain
- quälento cause severe suffering
- peinigento cause severe suffering
Greek μαρτύριο, βασανίζω
- μαρτύριο (martýrio)extreme pain
- βασανίζω (vasanízo)to cause severe suffering
Hindi यातना, पीड़ा
- यातना (yātnā)extreme pain
- पीड़ा (pīṛā)extreme pain
- कष्ट (kaṣṭ)extreme pain
Hungarian kín
- kínextreme pain
Icelandic kvöl
- kvölextreme pain
Indonesian azab, keazaban
- azabextreme pain
- keazabanextreme pain
- menghantuito cause severe suffering
- mengazabto cause severe suffering
Irish crá, céasadh
- cráextreme pain
- céasadhextreme pain
- ciapadhextreme pain
- crá croíextreme pain
- cráighto cause severe suffering
- ciapto cause severe suffering
- céasto cause severe suffering
- páisighto cause severe suffering
Italian tormento, supplizio
- tormentoextreme pain
- supplizioextreme pain
- martirioextreme pain
- tormentareto cause severe suffering
- martoriareto cause severe suffering
- torturareto cause severe suffering
- affliggereto cause severe suffering
- angustiareto cause severe suffering
Japanese 苦痛, 苦しめる
- 苦痛 (kutsū)extreme pain
- 苦しめる (kurushimeru)to cause severe suffering
- 苛む (sainamu)to cause severe suffering
Korean 고통
- 고통 (gotong)extreme pain
Latin cruciātus, poena
- cruciātusextreme pain
- poenaextreme pain
- malumextreme pain
- suppliciumextreme pain
- torqueōto cause severe suffering
- maceroto cause severe suffering
Latvian mokas
- mokasextreme pain
Lithuanian kančia, kankinti
- kančiaextreme pain
- kankintito cause severe suffering
Malay azab
- azabextreme pain
Māori whakatīwheta
- whakatīwhetato cause severe suffering
Norwegian pine, kval
- pineextreme pain
- kvalextreme pain
- lidelseextreme pain
Persian عذاب, شکنجه
- عذاب ('azâb)extreme pain
- شکنجه (šekanje)extreme pain
- آزار دادنto cause severe suffering
Polish męka, udręka
- mękaextreme pain
- udrękaextreme pain
- cierpienieextreme pain
- męczyćto cause severe suffering
- nękaćto cause severe suffering
- trapićto cause severe suffering
Portuguese tormento, judiar
- tormentoextreme pain
- judiarto cause severe suffering
- maltratarto cause severe suffering
- atormentarto cause severe suffering
Romanian chin, turment
- chinextreme pain
- turmentextreme pain
- zbuciumextreme pain
- chinuito cause severe suffering
- torturato cause severe suffering
Russian муче́ние, му́ка
- муче́ние (mučénije)extreme pain
- му́ка (múka)extreme pain
- истяза́ние (istjazánije)extreme pain
- му́чить (múčitʹ)to cause severe suffering
- истяза́ть (istjazátʹ)to cause severe suffering
Scottish Gaelic cràdh
- cràdhextreme pain
Slovak utrpenie, muka
- utrpenieextreme pain
- mukaextreme pain
Spanish tormento, atormentar
- tormentoextreme pain
- atormentarto cause severe suffering
Swahili kutesa
- kutesato cause severe suffering
Swedish plåga, pina
- plågaextreme pain
- pinaextreme pain
- kvalextreme pain
- plågato cause severe suffering
- pinato cause severe suffering
Turkish şiddetli acı, azap
- şiddetli acıextreme pain
- azapextreme pain
- işkenceextreme pain
- acı çektirmekto cause severe suffering
- çile çektirmekto cause severe suffering
Ukrainian стражда́ння, му́ка
- стражда́ння (straždánnja)extreme pain
- му́ка (múka)extreme pain
Urdu سَتانا
- سَتانا (satānā)to cause severe suffering
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with torment
Anagrams
Cite this entry
torment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/torment
“torment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/torment. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “torment,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/torment.
Source: torment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.