noun intense feelings of suffering.
— synonyms: agony, torment
noun the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean.
— synonyms: distortion, overrefinement, straining, twisting
noun 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.
— synonyms: torturing
Examples
“In every war there are acts of torture that cause the world to shudder.”
“Coventry City midfielder Josh Ruffels described his 11 months out injured as 'absolute torture' after the goalless draw with Derby County Under-21s. (http//www.ccfc.co.uk/news/article/eleven-months-of-absolute-torture-760652.aspx)”
“In the aftermath of 9/11, we did some things that were wrong. We did a whole lot of things that were right, but, we tortured some folks. We did some things that were contrary to our values.”