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":"Im7kVixy6QlUfeN3Ft1qf","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"categorial","entry":"categorial"},{"slug":"categorial-grammar","entry":"categorial grammar"},{"slug":"categorical","entry":"categorical"},{"slug":"categorical-imperative","entry":"categorical imperative"},{"slug":"categorically","entry":"categorically"}],"after":[{"slug":"categorize","entry":"categorize"},{"slug":"category","entry":"category"},{"slug":"category-a","entry":"Category A"},{"slug":"category-d","entry":"Category D"},{"slug":"category-killer","entry":"category killer"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"categoric-contact"},"requestId":"BjGoQp2YzTee8w9QBa2Rl","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"categoric-contact"},"requestId":"7ulMl0yZt70gJdG251-LK","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"Entry","audioPronunciations":[],"confusableNotes":[],"genderNotes":[],"grammarNotes":[],"headword":{"displayForm":"categoric contact","slug":"categoric-contact"},"idioms":[],"orderKey":99999010,"ordinal":10,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechBlock":[{"definitions":[{"antonymsConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"type\": \"def\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"behavior toward an individual on the basis of the type or group of people that person represents rather than on the basis of personal makeup.\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]","examples":[],"ordinal":1,"subdefinitions":[],"synonymsConnection":{"edges":[]}}],"inflectionSets":[],"labelSet":{"labelSetText":"Sociology."},"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciationNotes":[],"pronunciationSet":null,"relatedFormSets":[],"sensitiveNotes":[],"spellingNotes":[],"synonymStudy":[],"usageAlerts":[],"usageNotes":[],"variants":[],"verbPhrases":[]}],"url":"categoric-contact"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"categoric-contact"},"requestId":"cXSJQv2AxuXbem-rodj_I","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"categoric-contact","displayForm":"categoric contact","canonicalSlug":"categoric-contact","content":[{"source":"luna","entries":[{"id":"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e5f8a6e.1158","type":"normal","entry":"categoric contact","entrySyllabified":"categoric contact","entryVariants":[],"homograph":null,"pronunciation":null,"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","postdefinitionContent":"","definition":"behavior toward an individual on the basis of the type or group of people that person represents rather than on the basis of personal makeup.","synonyms":"","antonyms":"","cites":[]}],"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":"Sociology."}],"origin":null,"originData":null,"supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"variantSpellings":[],"referenceData":["Compare sympathetic contact. "],"relatedForms":[],"confusables":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":26304,"index-rank-01":["categoric contact"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":[],"index-rank-04":["categoric contact's","categoric contacts","categoric contacts'"],"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":[],"categoryId":"405","complexityScore":0.5120686556631646,"gradeLevel":"college","tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"categoric-contact"},"requestId":"hlcRb24pvvLoVPhVws36g","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":["categorical","categorial","categorize","category","Category A","Category D"],"tuna":["categorical","categories","categorize","category"],"lunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"categorical","slug":"categorical"},{"displayForm":"categorial","slug":"categorial"},{"displayForm":"categorize","slug":"categorize"},{"displayForm":"category","slug":"category"},{"displayForm":"Category A","slug":"category-a"},{"displayForm":"Category D","slug":"category-d"}],"tunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"categorical","slug":"categorical"},{"displayForm":"categories","slug":"categories"},{"displayForm":"categorize","slug":"categorize"},{"displayForm":"category","slug":"category"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"categoric-contact"},"requestId":"3OIEbTUQC9sn-v7IVEXUy","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

categoric contact

noun

Word of the Day