distorted
Americanadjective
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not truly or completely representing the facts or reality; misrepresented; false.
She has a distorted view of life.
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twisted; deformed; misshapen.
-
mentally or morally twisted, as with an aberration or bias.
He has a distorted sense of values.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of distorted
Explanation
If you have ever looked at yourself in a funhouse mirror, you probably saw an image that was quite distorted. Okay, so maybe your hair looked kind of weird that day, but your whole body wasn’t really that misshapen. This adjective is derived from the Latin verb distortus, which means “to twist different ways.” When something is distorted this can mean that it has been changed from the original form in any way. Someone can have a distorted worldview, or facts from an event can be distorted in the retelling. If a politician is misquoted in the newspaper, then it could be said that her opinion has been misrepresented or distorted by the media.
Vocabulary lists containing distorted
Twists and Turns: Tor
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Elie Wiesel's "Hope, Despair and Memory" (1986)
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"An Awful Human Trade," Vocabulary from the news article
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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.
"But it carries major risks of spawning emotional over-reliance and distorted social cognition," he wrote.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Economists polled by the The Wall Street Journal forecast that 115,000 jobs were added in June, though analysts warn the figure could be distorted by short-term hiring related to the World Cup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
However, researchers found that these signals may become distorted before they ever leave their home star system.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 16, 2026
In some videos, the AI generates figures without limbs or produces grotesquely distorted faces.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Through the plastic, behind the dirty lumps, the doctors face slid into a distorted smile.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
