warped

American

[wawrpt] / wɔrpt /

adjective

bent or twisted out of shape, especially from a flat or straight form.

A couple of warped planks made a sort of rickety footbridge from the sidewalk to the door.
bent or turned from the natural, normal, or true direction or character.

This manipulative behavior comes from the warped relationship she had with her over-controlling mother.
distorted from the truth, fact, true meaning or interpretation, etc.; biased; false.

Unfortunately you can always find a huge number of websites that will support any warped worldview your anxiety presents you with.
Aeronautics. (of a wing or other airfoil) curved or bent at the end to promote equilibrium or to secure lateral control.

A warped wing also shows significant improvement in the aircraft’s lift-to-drag ratio.
Agriculture. (of land) fertilized by flooding with water that deposits alluvial matter.

Water management systems evolved to bring nutrients to fields—as in rice paddies, but also in the water meadows and warped fields of Europe.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of warp.

Other Word Forms

unwarped

adjective

Etymology

Origin of warped

First recorded in 1425–75; warp ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; warp ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Explanation

Use the adjective warped to describe something that's twisted or bent. If you leave a wooden kitchen chair out in the rain, it may eventually become too warped to sit on. Something that's warped is misshapen, like a maple cutting board left to soak in the sink, or a plastic cup that melted and twisted in the hot summer sun. Colloquially, you can also use this word for anything bizarre or distorted, like your older brother's weird, warped sense of humor. The Germanic root of warped means "to turn or bend."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

warped

This is DeFalco’s debut feature after making several skits about weirdos with warped goals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Verified footage of the aftermath showed smoke rising between rubble and warped metal strewn across the ground where buildings had been destroyed.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Mr. Lillard, on the money, plays an administrator infuriated by the warped behavior of his most popular students, but who has to face parents with chips on their shoulders and self-serving agendas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026