tortured
/ˈtɔɹt͡ʃɚd/
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Sense 1
Meaning · English
Having been subjected to torture, mental or physical.
Adjective
Examples
Those who have escaped the dark and terrible aspects of life will find my brutality, my flash of rage in our final tragedy, easy enough to blame; for they know what is wrong as well as any, but not what is possible to tortured men. But those who have been under the shadow, who have gone down at last
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
Meaning · English
Involving suffering and difficulty.
Adjective
Examples
a tortured history
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “tortured” mean?
Having been subjected to torture, mental or physical.
Is “tortured” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.