Torment

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: tor=ment

CIDE DICTIONARY

Torment, n. [OF. torment, F. tourment, fr. L. tormentum an engine for hurling missiles, an instrument of torture, a rack, torture, fr. torquere to turn, to twist, hurl. See Turture.].

•  An engine for casting stones.  Sir T. Elyot.  [1913 Webster]
•  Extreme pain; anguish; torture; the utmost degree of misery, either of body or mind.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

  "The more I see
  Pleasures about me, so much more I feel
  Torment within me."  [1913 Webster]
•  That which gives pain, vexation, or misery.  [1913 Webster]

  "They brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments."  [1913 Webster]

Torment, v. t. [OF. tormenter, F. tourmenter.].

•  To put to extreme pain or anguish; to inflict excruciating misery upon, either of body or mind; to torture.  Matt. viii. 29.  [1913 Webster]
•  To pain; to distress; to afflict.  [1913 Webster]

  "Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented."  [1913 Webster]
•  To tease; to vex; to harass; as, to be tormented with importunities, or with petty annoyances.  [1913 Webster]
•  To put into great agitation.  Milton.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Torment, n. & v.
--n.
1 severe physical or mental suffering (was in torment).
2 a cause of this.
3 archaic a torture. b an instrument of torture.
--v.tr.
1 subject to torment (tormented with worry).
2 tease or worry excessively (enjoyed tormenting the teacher).

Derivative

tormentedly adv. tormentingly adv. tormentor n.

Etymology

ME f. OF torment, tormenter f. L tormentum missile-engine f. torquere to twist

THESAURUS

Torment

abuse, afflict, affliction, aggravate, aggrieve, agonize, agonizingness, agony, ail, anguish, annoy, annoyance, annoyer, atrocious pain, badger, badgerer, bait, bane, be at, be the matter, bedevil, befoul, beset, bewitch, bite, blight, bloody, bother, break down, bring to tears, bristle, brown off, bug, bugbear, bully, bullyrag, burden, burn, burn up, calamity, chafe, chevy, chivy, claw, clawing, complicate matters, concern, condemn, confinement, convulse, corrupt, cruciation, crucifixion, crucify, crush, crushing burden, curse, cut, cut up, damage, death, defile, deprave, desolate, desolateness, desolation, despoil, destroy, destruction, devil, disadvantage, discommode, discompose, disease, dismemberment, disserve, distemper, distress, disturb, do a mischief, do evil, do ill, do wrong, do wrong by, dog, doom, draw tears, embitter, envenom, estrapade, evil, exasperate, excruciate, excruciatingness, excruciation, exercise, fash, fester, fret, fretting, gall, galleys, get, get into trouble, give pain, gnaw, grate, grievance, grieve, grind, gripe, harass, harasser, harassment, hard labor, harm, harrier, harrow, harry, haunt, heartbreak, heartsickness, heckle, heckler, hector, hell, hell upon earth, hex, holocaust, horror, hound, hunt, hurt, impair, impale, impalement, imprisonment, incarceration, inconvenience, infect, inflame, inflict pain, infliction, injure, inundate, irk, irritate, irritation, jailing, jinx, keelhauling, kill by inches, lacerate, laceration, lancinate, lancination, macerate, maltreat, martyr, martyrdom, martyrization, martyrize, menace, miff, misery, mistreat, molest, nag, needle, needling, nemesis, nettle, nightmare, nip, nudnik, nudzh, nuisance, open wound, oppress, ordeal, outrage, overwhelm, pain, painfulness, passion, peeve, penal servitude, perplex, persecute, persecution, persecutor, perturb, pest, pester, pesterer, pestilence, pick on, picketing, pierce, pinch, pique, plague, plaguer, play havoc with, play hob with, pluck the beard, poison, pollute, pother, prejudice, prick, prolong the agony, prostrate, provoke, punish, purgatory, pursue, put out, put to it, put to torture, puzzle, rack, railriding, rankle, rasp, ride, rile, rip, rock pile, roil, rub, ruffle, running sore, sadist, savage, scarify, scathe, scourge, smite, sorrow, stab, sting, strappado, suffering, taint, tar-and-feathering, tease, teaser, the gantlet, thorn, threaten, tormentingness, tormentor, torture, torturousness, trouble, try, try the patience, tweak, tweak the nose, twist, vex, vexation, victimize, violate, visitation, woe, worriedness, worries and cares, worriment, worry, worrying, wound, wreak havoc on, wretchedness, wring, wrong

ROGET THESAURUS

Torment

Pain

N mental suffering, pain, dolor, suffering, sufferance, ache, smart, passion, displeasure, dissatisfaction, discomfort, discomposure, disquiet, malaise, inquietude, uneasiness, vexation of spirit, taking, discontent, dejection, weariness, anhedonia, annoyance, irritation, worry, infliction, visitation, plague, bore, bother, botheration, stew, vexation, mortification, chagrin, esclandre, mauvais quart d'heur, care, anxiety, solicitude, trouble, trial, ordeal, fiery ordeal, shock, blow, cark, dole, fret, burden, load, concern, grief, sorrow, distress, affliction, woe, bitterness, heartache, carking cares, heavy heart, aching heart, bleeding heart, broken heart, heavy affliction, gnawing grief, unhappiness, infelicity, misery, tribulation, wretchedness, desolation, despair, extremity, prostration, depth of misery, nightmare, ephialtes, incubus, pang, anguish, agony, torture, torment, purgatory, hell upon earth, iron age, reign of terror, slough of despond, peck of troubles, ills that flesh is heir to, miseries of human life, unkindest cut of all, sufferer, victim, prey, martyr, object of compassion, wretch, shorn lamb, in pain, in a state of pain, full of pain, suffering, pained, afflicted, worried, displeased, aching, griped, sore, on the rack, in limbo, between hawk and buzzard, uncomfortable, uneasy, ill at ease, in a taking, in a way, disturbed, discontented, out of humor, weary, heavy laden, stricken, crushed, a prey to, victimized, ill-used, unfortunate, to be pitied, doomed, devoted, accursed, undone, lost, stranded, fey, unhappy, infelicitous, poor, wretched, miserable, woe-begone, cheerless, careworn, concerned, sorry, sorrowing, sorrowful, cut up, chagrined, horrified, horror-stricken, in grief, plunged in grief, a prey to grief, in tears, steeped to the lips in misery, heart-stricken, heart-broken, heart-scalded, broken-hearted, in despair, the iron entered into our soul, haeret lateri lethalis arundo, one's heart bleeding, down, thou climbing sorrow, mirth cannot move a soul in agony, nessun maggior dolere che ricordarsi del tempo fel, sorrow's crown of sorrow is remembering happier th, the Niobe of Nations.

Painfulness

VB cause pain, occasion pain, give pain, bring pain, induce pain, produce pain, create pain, inflict pain, pain, hurt, wound, pinch, prick, gripe, pierce, lancinate, cut, hurt the feelings, wound the feelings, grate upon the feelings, grate upon the nerves, jar upon the feelings, wring the heart, pierce the heart, lacerate the heart, break the heart, rend the heart, make the heart bleed, tear the heart strings, rend the heart strings, draw tears from the eyes, sadden, make unhappy, plunge into sorrow, grieve, fash, afflict, distress, cut up, cut to the heart, displease, annoy, incommode, discompose, trouble, disquiet, faze, feaze, feeze, disturb, cross, perplex, molest, tease, tire, irk, vex, mortify, wherret, worry, plague, bother, pester, bore, pother, harass, harry, badger, heckle, bait, beset, infest, persecute, importune, wring, harrow, torment, torture, bullyrag, put to the rack, put to the question, break on the wheel, rack, scarify, cruciate, crucify, convulse, agonize, barb the dart, plant a dagger in the breast, plant a thorn in one's side, irritate, provoke, sting, nettle, try the patience, pique, fret, rile, tweak the nose, chafe, gall, sting to the quick, wound to the quick, cut to the quick, aggrieve, affront, enchafe, enrage, ruffle, sour the temper, give offense, maltreat, bite, snap at, assail, smite, sicken, disgust, revolt, nauseate, disenchant, repel, offend, shock, stink in the nostrils, go against the stomach, turn the stomach, make one sick, set the teeth on edge, go against the grain, grate on the ear, stick in one's throat, stick in one's gizzard, rankle, gnaw, corrode, horrify, appal, appall, freeze the blood, make the flesh creep, make the hair stand on end, make the blood curdle, make the blood run cold, make one shudder, haunt the memory, weigh on the heart, prey on the heart, weigh on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, prey on the spirits, bring one's gray hairs with sorrow to the grave, add a nail to one's coffin.

Physical Pain

N physical pain, pain, suffering, sufferance, suffrance, bodily pain, physical pain, bodily suffering, physical suffering, body pain, mental suffering, dolour, ache, aching, smart, shoot, shooting, twinge, twitch, gripe, headache, stomach ache, heartburn, angina, angina pectoris, hurt, cut, sore, soreness, discomfort, malaise, cephalalgia, earache, gout, ischiagra, lumbago, neuralgia, odontalgia, otalgia, podagra, rheumatism, sciatica, tic douloureux, toothache, tormina, torticollis, spasm, cramp, nightmare, ephialtes, crick, stitch, thrill, convulsion, throe, throb, pang, colic, kink, sharp pain, piercing pain, throbbing pain, shooting pain, sting, gnawing pain, burning pain, excruciating pain, anguish, agony, torment, torture, rack, cruciation, crucifixion, martyrdom, toad under a harrow, vivisection, in pain, in a state of pain, pained, gouty, podagric, torminous, painful, aching, sore, raw, Special Sensation (1) Touch.

VB feel pain, experience pain, suffer pain, undergo pain, suffer, ache, smart, bleed, tingle, shoot, twinge, twitch, lancinate, writhe, wince, make a wry face, sit on thorns, sit on pins and needles, give pain, inflict pain, lacerate, pain, hurt, chafe, sting, bite, gnaw, gripe, pinch, tweak, grate, gall, fret, prick, pierce, wring, convulse, torment, torture, rack, agonize, crucify, cruciate, excruciate, break on the wheel, put to the rack, flog, grate on the ear.