torment
torment Lexical Profile
torment Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Severe physical or mental suffering; agony or extreme distress.
"Years of unresolved guilt kept him in a state of constant emotional torment."
A cause or source of severe pain, anxiety, or persistent annoyance.
"The swarms of biting midges were a relentless torment to the hikers all afternoon."
• verb
To cause someone to experience severe mental or physical suffering.
"Doubts about whether he had made the right career choice continued to torment him for months."
To annoy, pester, or provoke someone or an animal persistently or cruelly.
"The older children were scolded for trying to torment the family cat."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a heteronym, 'torment' is stressed on the first syllable (TOR-ment) when used as a noun, and typically on the second syllable (tor-MENT) when used as a verb.
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English from Old French 'torment', from Latin 'tormentum' ('instrument for twisting, siege engine, or torture'), derived from 'torquere' ('to twist').