# tortured

/ˈtɔɹtʃɝd/ (US) · /tˈɔːtʃəd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tortured
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. suffering greatly

adjective · CEFR B2

feeling great physical or mental pain.

For teachers: subjected to intense physical or psychological suffering; often used to describe a person's expression or state of mind.

- The artist had a tortured look in his eyes as he spoke about his past.
- The biographer spent years researching the poet's tortured existence, documenting the deep depressions that fueled his most famous works.

### 2. difficult and complicated

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

very complicated and hard to follow, especially a story or an explanation.

For teachers: characterized by excessive complexity, lack of clarity, or forced effort; often applied to logic, prose, or artistic style.

- The lawyer gave a tortured explanation for why the money was missing.
- Critics dismissed the film's tortured plot, arguing that the director had sacrificed narrative clarity for the sake of unnecessary symbolism.

Usage: Often used to describe writing, logic, or reasoning that feels 'forced'.

## Examples

- The guards tortured the prisoner to find out the secret code.
- The regime was accused of having tortured political dissidents in secret facilities across the country.
- Historians have documented how the inquisitors tortured suspects not only to gain confessions but to instill a pervasive sense of fear throughout the local population.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.