From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtormenttor‧ment1 /ˈtɔːment $ ˈtɔːr-/ noun 1 [uncountable]MIMP severe mental or physical sufferingin torment She lay awake all night in torment.2 [countable]SUFFER someone or something that makes you suffer a lot The journey must have been a torment for them.
Examples from the Corpus
torment• A similar turnabout occurs with the story of Pandora and her box of evils and torments.• As she deals with mounting evidence that yet another boy may be in danger, we share her torment.• After 10 years of torment, Kiranjit Ahluwalia, 36, threw petrol over sleeping husband Deepak and set him on fire.• She suffered years of private torment over her decision to have her children adopted.• The book's theme of incest and sexual torment was largely autobiographical.• All the methods we tried to lessen the torment failed.• She moved from one willow tree to the next, forcing them all to share the torment she endured.• It's difficult for us to understand the torment the hostages are going through.• He voiced their torment at knowing their children would be medically examined without consent and without any familiar face being present.tormenttor‧ment2 /tɔːˈment $ tɔːr-/ verb [transitive] 1 SUFFERto make someone suffer a lot, especially mentally Seth was tormented by feelings of guilt.2 SUFFERto deliberately treat someone cruelly by annoying them or hurting them SYN torture The older boys would torment him whenever they had the chance. —tormentor noun [countable]→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
torment• Sometimes, too, he was tormented by jealousy.• Jealousy, fear, and suspicion tormented Harriet.• He was either out and hadn't switched on the answering machine or he was tormenting her by ignoring the telephone.• They tormented him with a plan to bypass theaters and just show it on television.• It might not be all that much, but it might be almost bearable if they didn't keep tormenting him.• My older sister loved to torment me.• Some years ago a thought like that began to torment me.• This is the problem that torments me.Origin torment1 (1200-1300) Old French Latin tormentum “torture”, from torquere “to twist” 