1. The deliberate, systematic, or wanton infliction of physical or mental suffering by one or more persons in an attempt to force another person to yield information or to make a confession or for any other reason
   "it required unnatural torture to extract a confession";
   - torturing
    
2. Unbearable physical pain
   "The chronic back pain was torture for the patient";
   - torment
    
3. Extreme distress of body or mind
   "The news of her son's accident filled her with torture";
   - anguish, torment
    
4. Intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain
   "The waiting was pure torture";
   - agony, torment
    
5. Excessive elaboration or subtlety, often leading to distortion of meaning
   "The lawyer's torture of the witness's words changed their original meaning";
   - distortion, overrefinement, straining

1. Subject to torture
   "The sinners will be tortured in Hell, according to the Bible";
   - excruciate [archaic], torment
    
2. Torment emotionally or mentally
   "His guilt tortured him for years";
   - torment, excruciate [archaic], rack, wrack

Derived forms: tortured, torturing, tortures

Type of: anguish, distress, falsification, hurt, hurting, injure, misrepresentation, pain, persecution, suffering, wound

Encyclopedia: Torture