contorted 1 of 2

adjective

as in distorted

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contorted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of contort
as in deformed
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition the acrobat is able to contort his body so that it almost looks like a pretzel

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contorted
Adjective
As the Emcee, an eerie, contorted figure who represents the slow blackening of the city’s soul, Muscato picks up from a prestigious line of talent that includes Eddie Redmayne, Billy Porter and Matt Willis. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026 Barr has resolved the dilemma by writing a contorted endorsement of Blanche in The Wall Street Journal. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026 The more contorted, the more supported. — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2026 The contorted, impossible plot isn’t the point, but its breakneck speed is. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 June 2026 The 39-year-old artist was finally gaining recognition abroad for his contorted, geometric sculptures made of thousands of hand-cut mirror shards reaching as high as 27 feet. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 28 Apr. 2026 Last week, Boston Dynamics explained Atlas’s ground recovery, revealing why the humanoid rises with contorted movements rather than standing like a human. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025 Then there are a couple of realistic sculptures by Swedish artist Anna Uddenberg that feature a woman seated on a basic office chair in contorted positions that seem to emphasize her feminine parts. — Jane Wooldridge, Miami Herald, 3 Dec. 2025 Three-inch gashes had been ripped from both corners of her mouth nearly to the ears, forming a contorted, twisted smile. — Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Halfway through my hands and feet went numb, then felt like fire, and then contorted into strange positions like lobster claws. — Kate Berlant, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026 Alongside it was Anna Uddenberg’s 2026 sculpture White Noise (Soft Skills), featuring a life-size, faceless mannequin whose body is contorted by a futuristic interpretation of ergonomic office-style furniture contraptions. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Lazzarini’s nine artworks on display, curated by John Ravenal, are convoluted and contorted, distorted into impossible shapes that challenge perception. — Kim Córdova, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 But somehow, Chase contorted his body, located the ball, snagged it out of the air, and kept both feet in the end zone for one of the best touchdown grabs of the season thus far. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026 Its blood had drawn crooked and contorted lines on the ground, as if a painter had splashed colorful strokes on a canvas to create a postmodern masterpiece. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 Human figures are often seen in floating, dynamic, and contorted positions, potentially engaging in shamanic journeys or ritualistic collective dances. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026 Years after Leontes, a king contorted by jealousy, has ordered that his wife, the blameless Hermione, be put to death, a curtain is drawn back to reveal what appears to be a statue of her. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 Football fandom is contorted by the internet now to put out beauty and vibe and wonder. — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contorted
  1. distorted
  2. deformed
  3. disordered
  4. curled
  5. tortured
Adjective
  • Co-produced by John Congleton, the record swaps synth-pop for gutter-punk, with distorted guitars and clattering surf riffs as its weapons of choice.
    — Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Obviously, a child who recently suffered a serious head trauma is far from a reliable narrator, and in the premiere, Paley leans into the subjectivity with distorted sound and imagery.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of distorted
Verb
  • On a map, Newfoundland is a vast, asymmetrical island, cloven by bays and inlets, semi-detached to appendages of land deformed by ancient glaciers scraping over it, leaving glacial striations, grooves and gouges on its granite face.
    — Paul Theroux, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
  • In other words, two objects are considered topologically identical if they can be deformed into one another without tearing holes in them or gluing them together at any point.
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of deformed
Adjective
  • Fundamentally, Beccia said, disordered eating is a mental health issue.
    — Sarah Todd, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The deadline The first thing out of that loop is DRX, short for disordered rocksalt, a family of cathode materials that use neither nickel nor cobalt.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of disordered
Verb
  • The top layers were pulled back and away from her face, then pinned behind her ears to show off major diamond earrings, and the lengths were loosely curled.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Ten seconds into the game, Gray curled off the right wing and took a pass from teammate Jordin Canada at the top of the key.
    — Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of curled
Verb
  • His underlings kidnapped and tortured a dealer who refused to pay, the indictment said.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The organization advocating on his behalf said Gilman had been tortured in Russian detention.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of tortured

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Cite this Entry

“Contorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contorted. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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