EXCRUCIATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does excruciation mean? 

• EXCRUCIATION (noun)
  The noun EXCRUCIATION has 2 senses:

1. a state of acute pain

2. the infliction of extremely painful punishment or suffering

  Familiarity information: EXCRUCIATION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EXCRUCIATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A state of acute pain

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

agony; excruciation; suffering

Hypernyms ("excruciation" is a kind of...):

hurting; pain (a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "excruciation"):

throe (severe spasm of pain)

Passion; Passion of Christ (the suffering of Jesus at the Crucifixion)

Derivation:

excruciate (subject to torture)

excruciate (torment emotionally or mentally)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The infliction of extremely painful punishment or suffering

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

crucifixion; excruciation

Hypernyms ("excruciation" is a kind of...):

torture; torturing (the deliberate, systematic, or wanton infliction of physical or mental suffering by one or more persons in an attempt to force another person to yield information or to make a confession or for any other reason)

Derivation:

excruciate (subject to torture)