torturous
adjective
tor·tur·ous
ˈtȯr-chə-rəs 
ˈtȯrch-
1
a
: very unpleasant or painful
a torturous day
torturous self-doubts
b
: causing torture
torturous inquisitions
2
: painfully difficult or slow
the torturous course of the negotiations
torturously
adverb
Examples of torturous in a Sentence
relatives had to make the torturous decision to disconnect the patient's life-support system
the post-infection treatment for rabies was as notoriously torturous as the disease itself
Recent Examples on the Web
In court proceedings in the years to follow, many of Gabriel’s family members, including his siblings Virginia and Ezequiel, testified about the torturous abuse the child experienced at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend.
—
Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 24 May 2025
Smith's lawyers filed a lawsuit along with eight other death row inmates challenge Tennessee’s new protocol, saying there is a high risk of torturous death.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 23 May 2025
The gleeful cruelty contained in these images is downright gut-churning, and makes for a necessary foundation to later moments of the elderly, fugitive Mengele being forced to confront his torturous wrongdoings.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 May 2025
Transitions and transformations can be fraught, even torturous.
—Nicole Stanton, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for torturous
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Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 24 May 2025
Smith's lawyers filed a lawsuit along with eight other death row inmates challenge Tennessee’s new protocol, saying there is a high risk of torturous death.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 23 May 2025
The gleeful cruelty contained in these images is downright gut-churning, and makes for a necessary foundation to later moments of the elderly, fugitive Mengele being forced to confront his torturous wrongdoings.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 May 2025
Transitions and transformations can be fraught, even torturous.
—Nicole Stanton, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for torturous
Cite this Entry
“Torturous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torturous. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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