torturar
verbCEFR B2
What does “torturar” mean in English?
to torture
to torture (torturar — inflict severe physical or psychological suffering, especially illegally)
Example sentences
El informe documenta cómo detenidos fueron torturados para obtener confesiones bajo coacción.
The report documents how detainees were tortured to extract confessions under coercion.
La espera de los resultados médicos lo torturaba con una angustia que no conseguía controlar.
The wait for the medical results tormented him with an anxiety he could not control.
Varios testigos describieron las condiciones en las que los presos eran torturados sistemáticamente.
Several witnesses described the conditions in which prisoners were systematically tortured.
How to use it
Torturar means 'to torture'. It is used literally (inflict severe pain illegally) and figuratively (torment mentally). Formal register contexts: documentar casos de tortura, ser torturado en detención. Figurative/literary: la incertidumbre lo torturaba (uncertainty was tormenting him). The noun is tortura; the adjective torturado/a. Key collocations: torturar detenidos, torturar psicológicamente, fue torturado para obtener una confesión.
Common mistake
Torturar is a strong word — even in figurative use it implies severe mental anguish, not just mild worry. For lighter anxiety, use preocupar or inquietar. The noun tortura is sometimes used hyperbolically in colloquial Spanish ('esa reunión fue una tortura' — that meeting was torture), which is acceptable at B2 in informal contexts.