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tormentare

to torment

verb tor-men-TAH-reh Rare
Mind & Emotions Emotions

Origin: From Latin 'tormentare', from 'tormentum' (instrument of torture).

Also means

to pester

Usage Note

Tormentare uses the auxiliary avere and can describe physical pain, emotional torment, or persistent nagging — smettila di tormentarmi (stop tormenting / pestering me). The reflexive tormentarsi means to torment oneself, to agonize (si tormenta per ogni errore — he agonizes over every mistake). The noun is tormento (m).

Examples

"I ricordi la tormentano ogni notte."

Natural Translation

Memories torment her every night.

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