Torturous: meaning, definitions and examples

Same as the first entry for 'torturous.' To specify a condition very similar to being tortured, with severe, often prolonged suffering.

• 'The endless waiting felt torturous
• ' 'She endured a torturous mental battle
• '

Used to describe intense discomfort or difficulty, often leading to extreme mental distress, anxiety, or discomfort.

• 'The wait for the test results was agonizing
• ' 'He made an agonizing decision to leave his hometown
• '

A general term for any form of physical or emotional discomfort or suffering, ranging in intensity but often less extreme than 'agonizing' or 'excruciating'.

• 'The breakup was a painful experience
• ' 'He had a painful headache after working all day
• '

Best used for very intense pain, either physical or emotional, that is almost unbearable.

• 'She felt excruciating pain after the surgery
• ' 'The excruciating loss of his pet deeply affected him
• '

This word is best used to describe situations or experiences that involve extreme physical or mental pain and are very difficult to endure.

• The journey through the mountains was a torturous ordeal.
• She found the wait for the test results to be torturous.

This is best used to describe something that is full of twists and turns, either literally, like a road, or metaphorically, like a process or negotiation.

• The path to the village was tortuous, with many sharp turns.
• The negotiations were tortuous and took months to complete.

It is appropriate for describing someone or something that causes pain and suffering deliberately and without compassion.

• His cruel remarks left her in tears.
• The dictator was known for his cruel punishment of dissenters.

Use this word to describe actions or behaviors that lack compassion and are considered deeply unpleasant, often implying a lack of humanity.

• The conditions in the prison were inhuman.
• The inhuman treatment of war prisoners shocked the world.