noun

torment

TAW-mehnt

noun

Severe physical or mental suffering.

"The years of chronic pain were a constant torment."

"She was in torment, not knowing whether her son was safe."

verb

To cause someone severe suffering or distress, often repeatedly.

"He was tormented by guilt over the accident."

"The older kids tormented him constantly at school."

How to Use Torment

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishIntense suffering, or to deliberately cause someone that kind of suffering.

Common mistake

Weaker than "torture" but stronger than "annoy" or "vex" — reserve it for genuinely serious distress.

Common pairings

mental torment tormented by guilt endless torment

tormented past tense, torments plural, torments singular

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The years of chronic pain were a constant _____.

From Old French torment, from Latin tormentum ("an instrument of torture" or "something twisted"), from torquere, "to twist".