torment
C1Formal, literary, and expressive. Used more often in writing and serious speech than casual conversation.
Definition
Meaning
Severe physical or mental suffering; to cause someone such suffering.
A source of persistent, nagging, or annoying pain, distress, or irritation. The act of tormenting, often implying deliberate cruelty or prolonged harassment.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word often implies deliberate, repeated infliction of suffering or a prolonged state of anguish. It can refer to both a state (the torment) and an action (to torment).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The verb form's stress differs: British English stresses the second syllable /tɔːˈment/, while American English stresses either the first syllable /ˈtɔːr.ment/ or can also stress the second depending on context. The noun form is /ˈtɔː.ment/ in both varieties.
Connotations
Connotations are largely the same. Both carry a strong sense of intense, often cruel suffering.
Frequency
Slightly more common in literary and formal contexts in both varieties. No significant frequency difference.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
torment [someone] (verb)torment [someone] with/about [something] (verb)be a torment to [someone] (noun)in torment (noun)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “torment oneself (over/about something)”
- “the torments of the damned”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rarely used literally. Figuratively: 'The constant software bugs were a torment for the development team.'
Academic
Used in literary criticism, psychology, and history (e.g., 'the torment of the protagonist', 'mental torment').
Everyday
Used for strong emotional distress: 'Waiting for the test results was sheer torment.' Often hyperbolic among friends: 'Stop tormenting me with your riddles!'
Technical
Mostly absent. May appear in clinical psychology or theological contexts describing intense suffering.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The older children would often torment the new pupil.
- He was tormented by doubts about his decision.
- Don't torment the cat with that laser pointer.
American English
- The memory continued to torment him for years.
- She tormented her brother about his childhood fears.
- The team was tormented by injuries all season.
adverb
British English
- Rarely used. Potentially: 'He smiled tormentingly.' (Literary/rare)
- She whispered tormentingly in his ear.
- The question hung tormentingly in the air.
American English
- Rarely used. Similar to UK: 'He laughed tormentingly.'
- She waited tormentingly for the verdict.
- The light flickered tormentingly.
adjective
British English
- His tormenting thoughts kept him awake.
- She had a tormenting suspicion she was wrong.
- The tormenting noise finally stopped.
American English
- He faced a tormenting decision.
- The tormenting heat wave lasted a week.
- Her tormenting guilt was obvious.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The noise from the construction was a real torment.
- He stopped tormenting his little sister.
- She felt great torment after losing her pet.
- The political prisoner endured years of physical and mental torment.
- He was tormented by the idea that he could have prevented the accident.
- The uncertainty of the waiting period was a constant torment.
- The artist's inner torment was vividly expressed in his later paintings.
- Prometheus was condemned to eternal torment for defying the gods.
- She deliberately tormented him with veiled references to his past failures.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a TORn aMENT: A painful, torn, mental state.
Conceptual Metaphor
SUFFERING IS TORTURE (He was tortured by guilt). AN ANNOYANCE IS A PERSECUTOR (The fly tormented the horse).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не путать с 'тормент' (мучение, агония) и более слабым 'докучать' (to pester). 'Torment' сильнее, чем 'страдание' (suffering), ближе к 'мучение/истязание'.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect stress on verb: saying /ˈtɔː.ment/ for the verb in UK English. Using it for minor annoyances ('The slow Wi-Fi tormented me' is hyperbolic). Confusing noun/verb forms in speech.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'torment' used most appropriately?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, significantly. 'Torment' implies intense, often prolonged suffering or cruel harassment, while 'bother' suggests a minor annoyance or disturbance.
Yes, it can describe severe physical pain, especially if prolonged or deliberately inflicted (e.g., 'the torment of the disease'), but it is equally or more common for mental/emotional suffering.
In British English, the noun is stressed on the first syllable (/ˈtɔː.ment/), and the verb on the second (/tɔːˈment/). In American English, both are often stressed on the first syllable (/ˈtɔːr.ment/), though the verb can also be stressed on the second.
Yes, this is a standard and idiomatic phrase meaning he is experiencing severe suffering or anguish.
Collections
Part of a collection
Nuanced Emotions
C2 · 48 words · Precise vocabulary for complex emotional states.