torment
gb/tˈɔɹmɛnt/ us/tˈɔɹmɛnt/
B2
English
~ 6100
gyötrelem, gyötör, kínoz, szekál, baj, kínszenvedés, kór, kín
NOUN
C1
1
gyötrelem
C1
Usage pattern:
to be in torment
The guilt became a constant torment that kept him awake at night.
A bűntudat állandó gyötrelemmé vált, és éjszakánként ébren tartotta.
She hid her inner torment behind a polite smile.
Belső gyötrelmét udvarias mosoly mögé rejtette.
The uncertainty over the test results was pure torment for the whole family.
Living with that secret was a private torment he never shared.
For years, memories of the accident were a daily torment.
Learner examples
Waiting for the phone call was a terrible torment.
A telefonhívásra várni szörnyű gyötrelem volt.
His heart was in torment after the breakup.
A szakítás után szörnyű lelki gyötrelmet élt át.
The memory of the war is still a torment to him.
Her quiet face hid a deep torment inside.
The long delay was a kind of torment for the passengers.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use *torment* for mild problems, like "Homework is a torment" when they only mean it is boring or difficult. In everyday speech, *torment* usually suggests very strong, painful feelings, not small annoyances. Also, learners might say "I feel torment"; it is more natural to say "I am in torment" or "I feel tormented."
Meaning
severe mental suffering or anguish
Collocations
in torment
|inner torment
|emotional torment
|mental torment
|a life of torment
|cause [someone] torment
Synonyms
anguish (Stresses deep, often sudden emotional pain, especially from loss or guilt.)
|
agony (Very intense suffering, often used for both physical and emotional pain.)
Antonyms
peace (Describes a calm, untroubled mental state, without suffering.)
|
relief (Focuses on the end or easing of suffering or discomfort.)
Themes
emotions
|mental_health
|relationships
|health
Definition
Very strong and usually long mental pain or emotional hurt.
Extreme and often prolonged mental or emotional suffering.
VERB
C1
2
gyötör
C1
Usage pattern:
to torment [someone] (with/by [something])
He was tormented by the thought that he could have done more to help.
Gyötörte a gondolat, hogy többet is tehetett volna a segítségért.
Old mistakes still torment her whenever she tries to sleep.
Régi hibák még mindig gyötrik, valahányszor aludni próbál.
The unanswered questions continue to torment the victims' families.
She tormented herself with images of what might have happened.
For years, he was tormented by feelings of shame and regret.
Learner examples
Bad dreams torment him every night.
Rémálmok gyötrik minden éjjel.
She is tormented by guilt after the accident.
A baleset után bűntudat gyötri.
These questions torment me all the time.
He tormented himself by thinking about every small mistake.
The idea of failure torments her before every exam.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use *torment* when they mean simple "worry" or "bother," for example: "The homework torments me" when it only means it is hard. *Torment* suggests very strong, painful feelings. Also, it is easy to confuse forms like "tormented" (past tense or adjective) and "tormenting" (continuous or adjective).
Meaning
to cause deep emotional suffering
Collocations
torment [someone] with questions
|memories that torment [someone]
|be tormented by guilt
|torment [someone] for years
|thoughts that torment [someone]
Synonyms
torture (Very strong; can imply both mental and physical suffering, and often suggests cruelty or deliberate harm.)
|
plague (Emphasizes something that keeps worrying or disturbing someone over time.)
Antonyms
comfort (Means to make someone feel less worried, sad, or in pain, the opposite of causing suffering.)
|
reassure (Focuses on removing fear or worry instead of increasing it.)
Themes
emotions
|relationships
|conflict
Definition
To make someone feel very strong and continuing mental or emotional pain.
To cause someone intense and often prolonged mental or emotional suffering.
VERB
B2
3
Usage pattern:
to torment [someone/something]
The older kids used to torment him on the playground every day.
A nagyobb gyerekek régebben mindennap kínozták a játszótéren.
Please tell your children not to torment the dog.
Kérlek, szólj a gyerekeidnek, hogy ne kínozzák a kutyát.
She accused her brother of tormenting her just to get a reaction.
The prisoners claimed that the guards tormented them for months.
Neighbors complained that local teenagers were tormenting the stray cats.
Learner examples
The boys like to torment their little sister.
A fiúk szeretik szekálni a kishúgukat.
Do not torment the cat; it is scared.
Ne kínozd a macskát; fél.
Some students torment the quiet boy in class.
He was tormented by other kids when he was young.
They tormented the bird by hitting the cage.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse *torment* with milder verbs like *tease*. *Tease* can be friendly or light, but *torment* suggests something cruel or very upsetting. Using *torment* for playful behavior can sound too strong or strange.
Meaning
to harass or bully repeatedly
Collocations
torment the animals
|torment a classmate
|torment [someone] at school
|torment [someone] for fun
|torment [someone] mercilessly
Synonyms
harass (Suggests repeated unwanted behavior, sometimes less intense or less physical than *torment*.)
|
bully (Focuses on repeated cruelty or abuse, especially when the target is weaker.)
Antonyms
protect (Means to keep someone safe from harm, the opposite of causing them pain or distress.)
|
be kind to (Describes gentle, caring behavior instead of cruel or teasing behavior.)
Themes
conflict
|social_issues
|daily_life
|relationships
|law
Definition
To hurt, scare, or strongly bother a person or animal again and again, often on purpose.
To deliberately and repeatedly cause someone or something pain, distress, or serious annoyance, often as a form of bullying or cruelty.
NOUN
B2
4
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] is a torment to [someone]
The summer heat was a torment for anyone without air conditioning.
A nyári hőség gyötrelem volt mindenkinek, akinek nem volt légkondicionálója.
For her, public speaking is a torment she can hardly bear.
Számára a közönség előtti beszéd olyan gyötrelem, amelyet alig bír elviselni.
The noisy construction outside has been a torment to the whole neighborhood.
His demanding boss is the torment of his working life.
Chronic headaches are a daily torment for many patients.
Learner examples
These long meetings are a torment for me.
Ezek a hosszú megbeszélések kínszenvedést jelentenek számomra.
The loud music next door is a torment at night.
A szomszédból jövő hangos zene éjszaka valóságos gyötrelem.
Exams are a real torment for many students.
The cold wind was a torment during the long walk.
Her back pain is a constant torment.
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse this sense for any small problem, making their speech sound too dramatic. Saying "This class is a torment" about a normal class can sound exaggerated or humorous when not intended.
Meaning
person or thing that causes suffering
Collocations
a constant torment
|a daily torment
|be a torment to [someone]
|torment of my life
|these exams are a torment
Synonyms
torture (Can be used similarly in informal speech for something extremely unpleasant, though it literally refers to severe suffering.)
|
misery (Focuses more on the overall unhappy condition than on the specific cause.)
Antonyms
blessing (Describes something that makes life better or easier, the opposite of causing suffering.)
|
comfort (A thing or situation that makes life easier and less painful.)
Themes
emotions
|daily_life
|health
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A person, thing, or situation that causes someone a lot of pain or very strong trouble.
A person, thing, or situation that causes someone severe suffering or persistent, serious annoyance.
NOUN
C1
5
kín
B2
kínszenvedés
C1
Usage pattern:
to suffer torments
The prisoners spoke of the torments they endured in the secret jail.
A foglyok beszéltek a kínokról, amelyeket a titkos börtönben elszenvedtek.
He described the final hours of her illness as unrelenting torment.
A nő betegségének utolsó óráit szűnni nem akaró kínként írta le.
Stories of the torments of hell were used to scare children into behaving.
Medical records confirmed the physical torments the victims had suffered.
She believed that death would finally free him from his torments.
Learner examples
The victims suffered terrible torments in the prison camp.
Az áldozatok szörnyű kínokat szenvedtek el a fogolytáborban.
The doctor tried to reduce the man's torment before he died.
Az orvos megpróbálta enyhíteni a férfi kínjait, mielőtt meghalt.
Old stories talk about the torments of hell.
After the accident, walking was a torment for him.
Pain medicine helped end her torment.
Common mistake:
Learners might not clearly separate physical *torment* from emotional *torment*. Context usually shows which one is meant. In modern conversation, people more often use *torture* to talk about deliberate physical pain.
Meaning
severe physical pain or torture
Collocations
physical torment
|the torments of hell
|suffer terrible torments
|inflict torment on [someone]
|escape their torments
Synonyms
torture (Very close in meaning; more common and direct for deliberate physical or mental cruelty.)
|
excruciation (A rarer, formal word highlighting extreme physical pain.)
Antonyms
comfort (Suggests ease and lack of pain, the opposite of severe suffering.)
|
ease (Emphasizes the absence of difficulty or pain.)
Themes
violence
|law
|health
Definition
Very strong physical pain, often done on purpose to hurt someone, as in torture.
Severe physical pain, especially when it is prolonged or deliberately inflicted as torture.
Grammar
Dictionary form
torment
IPA
GB/tˈɔɹmɛnt/
US/tˈɔɹmɛnt/
Syllables & stress
tor - ment (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (tor)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: torment
- Plural: torment, torments
Verb
- Base: torment
- 3rd Person Singular: torments
- Present Participle: tormenting
- Past: tormented
Word family
Forms
torments
noun
tormenting
verb
tormented
verb
Related words
tormentor
noun
Expressions
be tormented by
1/bˈi tɔɹmˈɛntɪd bˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
to suffer because of something
To feel strong and continuing pain or worry because of something.
Examples
- She is tormented by guilt over the accident.
- For years he was tormented by memories of the war.
in torment
1/ˈɪn tˈɔɹmɛnt/
fixed phrase
in a state of great suffering
Suffering very strong mental or physical pain.
Examples
- She lay awake all night in torment over what she had done.
- He was clearly in torment after hearing the bad news.
the torments of hell
1/ðə tɔɹmˈɛnts əv hˈɛl/
fixed phrase
literary
extreme, often eternal suffering in hell
Very strong and endless pain and suffering that some people believe happen in hell.
Examples
- The preacher warned them about the torments of hell.
- Medieval paintings often show the torments of hell in frightening detail.
tormented soul
1/tɔɹmˈɛntɪd sˈoʊl/
fixed phrase
literary
person in deep emotional pain
A person who feels deep emotional pain or trouble for a long time.
Examples
- The film follows a tormented soul trying to escape his past.
- Many saw the artist as a tormented soul who poured his pain into his work.