distortion

American  

[dih-stawr-shuhn] / dɪˈstɔr ʃən /

noun

• distortions
  plural

1. an act or instance of distorting.

2. the state of being distorted or the relative degree or amount by which something is distorted or distorts.

3. anything that is distorted, as a sound, image, fact, etc.

4. Optics. an aberration of a lens or system of lenses in which the magnification of the object varies with the lateral distance from the axis of the lens.

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distortion British  

/ dɪˈstɔːʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of distorting or the state of being distorted

2. something that is distorted

3. an aberration of a lens or optical system in which the magnification varies with the lateral distance from the axis

4. electronics

   1. an undesired change in the shape of an electromagnetic wave or signal

   2. the result of such a change in waveform, esp a loss of clarity in radio reception or sound reproduction

5. psychol a change in perception so that it does not correspond to reality

6. psychoanal the disguising of the meaning of unconscious thoughts so that they may appear in consciousness, e.g. in dreams

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondistortion
  noun
• overdistortion
  noun
• distortional
  adjective
• distortionary
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• distortions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of distortion

First recorded in 1575–85, distortion is from the Latin word distortiōn- (stem of distortiō ). See distort, -ion

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Explanation

A distortion is a change, twist, or exaggeration that makes something appear different from the way it really is. You can distort an image, a thought, or even an idea. To say that I never take out the garbage is a distortion of the facts. The heat from the highway creates a distortion in the way objects in the distance appear: They wiggle and dance. The heat creates a wavy distortion in the air that shakes up the image of the things beyond it. Things are the way they are: to change them is to distort them or to create a distortion. Some guitar players prefer distortion: they plug their instrument into amps and pedals that twist and stretch the sound so much that you might not even recognize its source as a guitar.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

distortion distortions

The scale of distortion started coming into focus in 2023 as Macron was weaning the country off the programs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

A guidepost of Chilean hyper-pop, it is also a heart-wrenching mash of tenderness and distortion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

That distortion would change the apparent size of the patterns.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

They denounced "the state failing to regulate prices", which "allows an integrated group that benefits from considerable upstream margins to dictate, to blackmail, leading to this distortion of competition."

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

The Burr story required a distortion of Hamilton’s honorable intentions in order to justify Burr’s fatal response.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Strong gravitational lensing produces obvious distortions, including the striking arcs captured by JWST.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

Manson said the claims were "horrible distortions of reality" and his "intimate relationships had always been entirely consensual".

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

As you may remember from high school, most maps of the world use the Mercator projection, which features considerable distortions, especially in the Northern Hemisphere.

From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2026

But for the economic distortions caused by reduced crude-oil availability from the war in Iran, California’s demand would likely be met almost entirely by Asian exporters if transport costs were the only issue—waivers or not.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

How did I know that someday—at college, in Europe, somewhere, anywhere—the bell jar, with its stifling distortions, wouldn't descend again?

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

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