distorted

[ dih-stawr-tid ]

/ dɪˈstɔr tɪd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR distorted ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not truly or completely representing the facts or reality; misrepresented; false: She has a distorted view of life.

twisted; deformed; misshapen.

mentally or morally twisted, as with an aberration or bias: He has a distorted sense of values.

Nearby words

distomatosis, distomiasis, distomolar, distopulpal, distort, distorted, distortion, distortion aberration, distoversion, distr., distract

Origin of distorted

First recorded in 1625–35; distort + -ed²

Related forms

dis·tort·ed·ly, adverbdis·tort·ed·ness, nounnon·dis·tort·ed, adjectivenon·dis·tort·ed·ly, adverb

non·dis·tort·ed·ness, nounun·dis·tort·ed, adjectiveun·dis·tort·ed·ly, adverb

Definition for distorted (2 of 2)

distort

[ dih-stawrt ]

/ dɪˈstɔrt /

verb (used with object)

to twist awry or out of shape; make crooked or deformed: Arthritis had distorted his fingers.

to give a false, perverted, or disproportionate meaning to; misrepresent: to distort the facts.

Electronics. to reproduce or amplify (a signal) inaccurately by changing the frequencies or unequally changing the delay or amplitude of the components of the output wave.

Origin of distort

1580–90; < Latin distortus (past participle of distorquēre to distort), equivalent to dis- dis-¹ + tor(qu)- (stem of torquēre to twist) + -tus past participle suffix

SYNONYMS FOR distort

2 pervert, misconstrue, twist, falsify, misstate. See misrepresent.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR distort ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

dis·tort·er, noundis·tor·tive, adjectivenon·dis·tort·ing, adjectivenon·dis·tort·ing·ly, adverb

non·dis·tor·tive, adjectiveo·ver·dis·tort, verb (used with object)un·dis·tort·ing, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for distorted

It starts off like any other Lana tune, replete with minor chords and humming, distorted vocals.
The 14 Best Songs of 2014: Bobby Shmurda, Future Islands, Drake, and More|Marlow Stern|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I think the attacks on Fareed are distorted, irresponsible, and unfair,” Weisberg emailed.
Can Fareed Zakaria Survive A Plagiarism Firestorm?|Lloyd Grove|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I speak here to warn people that the facts presented in the opera are incomplete and distorted.
Rudy Giuliani: Why I Protested ‘The Death of Klinghoffer’|Rudy Giuliani|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What we hear about the women of Everest is often sensationalized, exaggerated, reimagined or distorted—if we hear anything at all.
Breaking Mount Everest’s Glass Ceiling|Amanda Padoan, Peter Zuckerman|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But the Mandela legacy has also given South Africa a distorted sense of exceptionalism.
Mandela: The Last Good Man|Mark Gevisser|December 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The cruel eyes did not open, and the distorted mouth did not change.
The Wishing Moon|Louise Elizabeth Dutton
He saw the limp form thrown across the bed, the distorted face, the hands and arms posed grotesquely.
Number Seventeen|Louis Tracy
Every thing was exaggerated and distorted by vague report and by national prejudice.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
At the same time, a transformation of the applied energy into heat takes place in the distorted material.
The Energy System of Matter|James Weir
"A diseased and distorted mind is capable of hallucinations, if that is what you mean," observed Sarria.
The Octopus|Frank Norris

British Dictionary definitions for distorted

distort

/ (dɪˈstɔːt) /

verb (tr)

(often passive) to twist or pull out of shape; make bent or misshapen; contort; deform

to alter or misrepresent (facts, motives, etc)

electronics to reproduce or amplify (a signal) inaccurately, changing the shape of the waveform

Derived Forms

distorted, adjectivedistortedly, adverbdistortedness, noundistorter, noun

distortive, adjective

Word Origin for distort

C16: from Latin distortus misshapen, from distorquēre to turn different ways, from dis- 1 + torquēre to twist

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