contorted
Americanadjective
-
twisted in a violent manner; distorted.
-
twisted back on itself; convoluted.
adjective
-
twisted out of shape
-
(esp of petals and sepals in a bud) twisted so that they overlap on one side
Other Word Forms
- contortedly adverb
- contortedness noun
- intercontorted adjective
- uncontorted adjective
- uncontortedly adverb
Etymology
Origin of contorted
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.
Yu Ji’s cement sculptures take the shape of contorted human bodies—not uncomfortable but limberly twisted and folded—that are missing limbs; their contrasting materials and postures at once suggest permanence and evanescence.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
Acquiring the semiautonomous Danish territory would further elevate his claims to greatness and the status of legend in his own contorted reality.
From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026
Natalie said at times Beth would spend hours lying with her body "contorted" into specific positions that enabled her to bear the agony.
From BBC • Oct. 25, 2025
“She bounded around with so many positions and backtracked and so desperately contorted ... . She is more consistent now than she was then.”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2024
He could see it in their faces—in Joe’s contorted grimace, in Don Hume’s wide-open, astonished eyes, eyes that seemed to stare past him into some unfathomable void.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
