Torturous — A Vocabulary Story
The Long Wait for Bibi
The minute hand on the kitchen clock seemed broken. Nancy stared at it, willing it forward, but each tick was torturous.
Torturous means intensely painful or distressing, physically or emotionally.
Her older sister, Bibi, had auditioned for the National Youth Orchestra three weeks ago. Today, the letter would arrive. Bibi had practised her violin until her fingers ached, and Nancy had endured every torturous scale, every wobbly arpeggio, every cracked note from the box room next door.
"Stop pacing," Mum said, kneading bread. "You're making the dog nervous."
"It's torturous, Mum. How can Bibi just sit there reading?"
Upstairs, Bibi was actually not reading. She was lying face-down on her duvet, finding the silence equally torturous. She had told everyone she didn't mind either way, but that was a lie polished smooth from repetition.
At last, the letterbox clattered. Nancy sprinted, skidded, and snatched the envelope. She thundered up the stairs.
"Open it," Bibi whispered. "I can't."
"You open it. I've suffered enough torturous waiting for one morning."
Bibi's hands trembled. She tore the flap, unfolded the page, and her eyes flickered across the lines in torturous slow motion.
Then she screamed — the good kind of scream.
"I'm in! Nancy, I'm in!"
They jumped on the bed until the springs complained. Downstairs, Mum smiled, dusting flour from her hands. The waiting had been torturous, but moments like this made every second worthwhile.
Word Definition
torturous
meaning
intensely painful or distressing, physically or emotionally
synonyms
agonising · intense · painful · harrowing · tormenting
antonyms
pleasant · gratifying · bearable
example sentence
The torturous heat of the desert made every step feel like a struggle for survival.