excruciates
Inflicts severe suffering
Excruciates means causes intense suffering or anguish.
The word shares a root with crucify, suggesting pain severe enough to feel like torture: The migraine excruciates her for hours.
More often appears as the adjective excruciating: excruciating pain, excruciating boredom.
The verb form is relatively rare in contemporary usage.
Causes severe distress
- anguishesSuffers extreme distress
- devastatesDestroys thoroughly and completely
- rendsTears apart forcibly
- wrenchesTools for turning fasteners
heartbreaks · grieves · haunts · gnaws · consumes · crushes · wounds · distresses
torments
Causes severe distress
- anguishesSuffers extreme distress
- devastatesDestroys thoroughly and completely
- rendsTears apart forcibly
wrenches · heartbreaks · grieves · haunts · gnaws · consumes · crushes · wounds · distresses · despairs
tortures
Inflicts severe suffering
writhes · sears · throbs · stabs · pierces · burns · lacerates · convulses · spasms · cramps
cringes
Recoils from fear or embarrassment
- mortifiesCauses severe embarrassment
- humiliatesCauses painful embarrassment
- shamesCauses deep embarrassment
withers · squirms · blushes · agonizes · uncomfortable · awkward · painful · winces · dreads · endures