contortion

American  

[kuhn-tawr-shuhn] / kənˈtɔr ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of contorting.

2. the state of being contorted. contorted.

3. a contorted contorted position.

4. something contorted contorted or twisted, as in position or meaning.

   His account of the incident was a complete contortion of fact.

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contortion British  

/ kənˈtɔːʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of contorting or the state of being contorted

2. a twisted shape or position

3. something twisted or out of the ordinary in character, meaning, etc

   mental contortions

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Other Word Forms

• contortional adjective
• contortioned adjective
• uncontortioned adjective

Etymology

Origin of contortion

1605–15; < Latin contortiōn- (stem of contortiō ) a whirling around. See contort, -ion

Example Sentences

This cellular contortion is a process called macropinocytosis.

From Science Daily • Dec. 5, 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

Other animals such as pangolins and Tepui toads can also spin themselves into a cartwheel, but the contortion isn’t widespread in mammals, let alone reptiles.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 4, 2023

Sprinkling the proceedings with fairy dust, pantomiming prowess and loose-limbed contortion, the blue-painted Kraje makes for an endlessly appealing Puck.

From Washington Post • Jul. 4, 2022

There was no clutter and contortion, no sense of always being under the shadow of something high and gloomy, as in Erhenrang; everything was simple, grandly conceived, and orderly.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Related Words

• deformation
• deformity