First recorded in 1350–1400.
Comes via Middle English from the Latin word tortuōsus, which derives from the verb torquēre, “to twist, bend.”
Sign up for more Word of the Day!

\r\nEXAMPLES OF TORTUOUS\r\n

The tortuous road through the mountains made for a challenging but scenic drive.
The author's writing style was known for its elegant prose and tortuous plot twists.

\r\nIt's National Poetry Month, and we’ve created a challenge that really is for everyone. Submit now!","audio":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/T03/T0390200.mp3","definitions":[{"partofspeech":"adjective","data":"full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked."}],"examples":[],"imageUrl":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/tortuous_IG.png","accentColor":"#0063D7"}},"status":"succeeded"}},"meta":{"requestId":"dFZ7a2aiOsChF64joBO10","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"earflap","entry":"earflap"},{"slug":"earful","entry":"earful"},{"slug":"ear-fungus","entry":"ear fungus"},{"slug":"ear-grabbing","entry":"ear-grabbing"},{"slug":"earhart","entry":"Earhart"}],"after":[{"slug":"earing","entry":"earing"},{"slug":"earl","entry":"earl"},{"slug":"earlap","entry":"earlap"},{"slug":"earldom","entry":"earldom"},{"slug":"earless-lizard","entry":"earless lizard"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"earhart--amelia"},"requestId":"UzNyFrKZHOJCTdvzWtnym","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"earhart--amelia"},"requestId":"-DbXZc1DwtIGuaJIubEr4","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[],"url":"earhart-amelia"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"earhart--amelia"},"requestId":"9RETSzyh6mexB1cXR2Td4","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"earhart--amelia","displayForm":"Earhart, Amelia","canonicalSlug":"earhart--amelia","content":[{"source":"cultural","entries":[{"id":"earhartameli","type":"normal","entry":"Earhart, Amelia","entrySyllabified":null,"entryVariants":[],"homograph":0,"pronunciation":{"audio":null,"spell":["(air-hahrt)"],"ipa":null},"predefinitionContent":null,"contentBlocks":[{"title":null,"content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":"An aviator of the twentieth century. Earhart was the first woman to pilot an airplane across the Atlantic Ocean. She disappeared in a flight over the Pacific Ocean in 1937."}]}],"supplementaryNotes":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":48352,"index-rank-01":["earhart, amelia"],"index-rank-02":["earhart amelia"],"index-rank-03":[],"index-rank-04":[],"index-rank-05":[],"index-rank-06":[],"index-rank-07":[],"index-rank-08":[],"index-rank-09":[],"index-rank-10":[],"index-rank-11":[],"index-rank-12":[],"index-rank-13":[],"index-rank-14":[],"index-rank-15":["earhart-amelia"],"tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"earhart--amelia"},"requestId":"ofGPgLq1t9ZdCuIRhxHfj","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":["Earhart","Arhat","arhat","Erhard","earth art","Erhardt","Eberhart","Eckhart"],"tuna":["earshot","near heart","eat at","aerate","apart","airhead","at heart","errata","a part","assart","warhead","aha","attar","argot","eat hearty!","evert","war-hater","hurt","near hit","airport","orchard","ardor","eight","abort","alert","altar","avert","await","award","a hand","harder","unhurt","art air","all heart","a shot","un hurt","un-hurt","for what","on what"],"lunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"Earhart","slug":"earhart"},{"displayForm":"Arhat","slug":"arhat"},{"displayForm":"arhat","slug":"arhat"},{"displayForm":"Erhard","slug":"erhard"},{"displayForm":"earth art","slug":"earth-art"},{"displayForm":"Erhardt","slug":"erhardt"},{"displayForm":"Eberhart","slug":"eberhart"},{"displayForm":"Eckhart","slug":"eckhart"}],"tunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"earshot","slug":"earshot"},{"displayForm":"near heart","slug":"near%20heart"},{"displayForm":"eat at","slug":"eat%20at"},{"displayForm":"aerate","slug":"aerate"},{"displayForm":"apart","slug":"apart"},{"displayForm":"airhead","slug":"airhead"},{"displayForm":"at heart","slug":"at%20heart"},{"displayForm":"errata","slug":"errata"},{"displayForm":"a part","slug":"a%20part"},{"displayForm":"assart","slug":"assart"},{"displayForm":"warhead","slug":"warhead"},{"displayForm":"aha","slug":"aha"},{"displayForm":"attar","slug":"attar"},{"displayForm":"argot","slug":"argot"},{"displayForm":"eat hearty!","slug":"eat%20hearty!"},{"displayForm":"evert","slug":"evert"},{"displayForm":"war-hater","slug":"war-hater"},{"displayForm":"hurt","slug":"hurt"},{"displayForm":"near hit","slug":"near%20hit"},{"displayForm":"airport","slug":"airport"},{"displayForm":"orchard","slug":"orchard"},{"displayForm":"ardor","slug":"ardor"},{"displayForm":"eight","slug":"eight"},{"displayForm":"abort","slug":"abort"},{"displayForm":"alert","slug":"alert"},{"displayForm":"altar","slug":"altar"},{"displayForm":"avert","slug":"avert"},{"displayForm":"await","slug":"await"},{"displayForm":"award","slug":"award"},{"displayForm":"a hand","slug":"a%20hand"},{"displayForm":"harder","slug":"harder"},{"displayForm":"unhurt","slug":"unhurt"},{"displayForm":"art air","slug":"art%20air"},{"displayForm":"all heart","slug":"all%20heart"},{"displayForm":"a shot","slug":"a%20shot"},{"displayForm":"un hurt","slug":"un%20hurt"},{"displayForm":"un-hurt","slug":"un-hurt"},{"displayForm":"for what","slug":"for%20what"},{"displayForm":"on what","slug":"on%20what"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"earhart--amelia"},"requestId":"23I_8NYlKKB3DfSPK_MAy","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

Did you mean Earhart?