sinuous

[ sin-yoo-uhs ]
See synonyms for: sinuoussinuousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. having many curves, bends, or turns; winding: a sinuous path.

  2. indirect; devious: sinuous questions.

  1. characterized by a series of graceful curving motions: a sinuous dance.

  2. Botany. sinuate, as a leaf.

Origin of sinuous

1
From the Latin word sinuōsus, dating back to 1570–80. See sinus, -ous

Other words for sinuous

1 curving, meandering, twining, twisting, coiled, curved, serpentine
2 roundabout
See synonyms for sinuous on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for sinuous

Other words from sinuous

  • sin·u·ous·ly, adverb
  • sin·u·ous·ness, noun
  • sub·sin·u·ous, adjective
  • un·sin·u·ous, adjective
  • un·sin·u·ous·ly, adverb
  • un·sin·u·ous·ness, noun

Words Nearby sinuous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sinuous in a sentence

  • The natural result of this billiard-ball movement of the waters is that the path of the stream is sinuous.

    Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
  • Her hands were sinuous as serpents, the fingers tapering, the nails very long like the Chinese.

    Valley of the Croen | Lee Tarbell
  • The river below Wroxham is very narrow and very sinuous; its banks lined with groves of trees which intercept the wind.

    Yachting Vol. 2 | Various.
  • What a sinuous underground plot the superficial incidents of this journey covered!

    Overland | John William De Forest

British Dictionary definitions for sinuous

sinuous

/ (ˈsɪnjʊəs) /


adjective
  1. full of turns or curves; intricate

  2. devious; not straightforward

  1. supple; lithe

Origin of sinuous

1
C16: from Latin sinuōsus winding, from sinus a curve
  • Also: sinuate

Derived forms of sinuous

  • sinuously, adverb
  • sinuousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012