tormentor

Or tor·ment·er

[tawr-men-ter, tawr-men-]

noun

1. a person or thing that torments.

2. Theater.,  a curtain or framed structure behind the proscenium at both sides of the stage, for screening the wings from the audience.

tormentor

/ tɔːˈmɛntə /

noun

1. a person or thing that torments

2. a curtain or movable piece of stage scenery at either side of the proscenium arch, used to mask lights or exits and entrances

3. films a panel of sound-insulating material placed outside the field of the camera to control the acoustics on the sound stage

Word History and Origins

Origin of tormentor¹

1250–1300; Middle English tormento ( u ) r < Anglo-French; Old French tormenteor. See torment, -or ²

Example Sentences

Now that they’re teammates the two tormentors can appreciate each other’s gift for the dark arts.

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Ohtani initiated a high-five with his tormentor, who playfully bowed in deference.

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It’s a fascinatingly cynical update: Should we make an uneasy peace with our tormentors?

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Joel also has a cathartic reunion with a childhood bully, spun from conversations in which Bos and Thureen asked Hiller what he would want to hear from his own past tormentors.

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The younger Biden not only deviated from that lefty code but also mirrored his tormentors, then unleashed his ire onto his own party.

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