contortion
Americannoun
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the act or process of contorting.
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the state of being contorted.
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a contorted position.
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something contorted or twisted, as in position or meaning.
His account of the incident was a complete contortion of fact.
noun
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the act or process of contorting or the state of being contorted
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a twisted shape or position
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something twisted or out of the ordinary in character, meaning, etc
mental contortions
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of contortion
1605–15; < Latin contortiōn- (stem of contortiō ) a whirling around. See contort, -ion
Explanation
If you twist your body into a contortion, you might put one leg behind your ear, and clasp your arms behind your back. A contortion is a twisted position. Yoga can feel like a series of contortions to beginners. People who twist their bodies into contortions professionally are called contortionists. In order to become a contortionist, you need to start with a lot of flexibility and a willingness to contort your body into uncomfortable positions. You then need a lot of practice. It is not easy to achieve a perfectly freakish contortion.
Vocabulary lists containing contortion
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 5
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Twists and Turns: Tor
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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.
He’s known for using both sides of mirrors—both reflective and matte—to make a contortion of geometric forms that curve, arc, jut and ripple.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
This cellular contortion is a process called macropinocytosis.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2024
“Threads,” which incorporates aerial rope, trapeze, slack rope, contortion archery and hair suspension, among other apparatuses, mines the truth of human connections writ large and small, literal and figurative.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2024
The new show will feature aerial contortion, foot juggling, modern clowns, and a 34.6-foot unicycle—and audience members will view the show from a curtain-less 360-degree stage.
From National Geographic ● Sep. 26, 2023
Then he slumped forward, into a crouch I recognized, and his pleasant smile slowly widened, grew, till it wasn’t a smile at all but a contortion of teeth, exposed and glistening.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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.
