tormentor
Americannoun
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a person or thing that torments.
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Theater. a curtain or framed structure behind the proscenium at both sides of the stage, for screening the wings from the audience.
noun
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a person or thing that torments
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a curtain or movable piece of stage scenery at either side of the proscenium arch, used to mask lights or exits and entrances
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films a panel of sound-insulating material placed outside the field of the camera to control the acoustics on the sound stage
Etymology
Origin of tormentor
1250–1300; Middle English tormento ( u ) r < Anglo-French; Old French tormenteor. See torment, -or 2
Explanation
A tormentor is someone who terrorizes another person, deliberately making them suffer. If your sister keeps tickling you after you desperately beg her not to, feel free to call her your tormentor. A tormentor is a person who torments, and both words are strongly related to torture — they share a root that means "to twist." A tormentor doesn't torture once, though, but inflicts pain over a long period of time. While tormentor is often used in a light-hearted way, as when you say your devilish new kitten is your Great Dane's tormentor, it can also be used with reference to serious situations.
Vocabulary lists containing tormentor
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the dramatic courtroom conclusion, Caleb finds sympathy for his tormentor and terms him “a man worthy of affection and kindness.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026
Ohtani initiated a high-five with his tormentor, who playfully bowed in deference.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 25, 2025
Before "Cobra Kai," Daniel LaRusso's tormentor Johnny Lawrence starred in an Internet fantasy pitching him as the real hero of "The Karate Kid."
From Salon • Feb. 13, 2025
"I'm not a victim of racism. I'm the tormentor of racists," the 24-year-old posted on social media afterwards.
From BBC • Nov. 4, 2024
She said she was born to be Julie, the English teacher's pet and Olivia’s number one tormentor.
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
