contortionist

[ kuh n-tawr-shuh-nist ]

/ kənˈtɔr ʃə nɪst /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR contortionist ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who performs gymnastic feats involving contorted postures.

a person who practices contortion: a verbal contortionist.

Nearby words

conto, contoid, contort, contorted, contortion, contortionist, contortive, contour, contour curtain, contour feather, contour integration

Origin of contortionist

First recorded in 1855–60; contortion + -ist

Related forms

con·tor·tion·is·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for contortionist

Inside the “Love” window Elphresh the contortionist elf dances in from of a gold boom-box and 9-foot chrome mushrooms.
The Incredible Art of Christmas Windows|Barbara Ragghianti|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This stranger was a contortionist, there could be no question about that now.
White Fire|Roy J. Snell
No one but your friend, the contortionist, the frog-man, could wear such long-fingered affairs as these.
White Fire|Roy J. Snell
If the chat is a clown, the water turkey would make its fortune as a contortionist.
A Florida Sketch-Book|Bradford Torrey

He had narrow eyes, shrewd and calculating and the sinuous motions of a contortionist.
Port O' Gold|Louis John Stellman
As a matter of fact, I was once”—he looked cautiously around—“I was once a contortionist.
Philo Gubb Correspondence-School Detective|Ellis Parker Butler

British Dictionary definitions for contortionist

contortionist

/ (kənˈtɔːʃənɪst) /

noun

a performer who contorts his body for the entertainment of others

a person who twists or warps meaning or thoughtsa verbal contortionist

Derived Forms

contortionistic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012