sinuous
Americanadjective
-
having many curves, bends, or turns; winding.
a sinuous path.
- Synonyms:
- serpentine
- Antonyms:
- straight
-
indirect; devious.
sinuous questions.
- Synonyms:
- roundabout
- Antonyms:
- direct
-
characterized by a series of graceful curving motions.
a sinuous dance.
-
Botany. sinuate, as a leaf.
adjective
-
full of turns or curves; intricate
-
devious; not straightforward
-
supple; lithe
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sinuous
From the Latin word sinuōsus, dating back to 1570–80. See sinus, -ous
Explanation
Sinuous means winding or curvy. If you get lost on a sinuous mountain path, you'll need a compass or a GPS to figure out which direction leads back to camp. The adjective sinuous comes from the Latin word sinus, which means to curve or bend. If you have a sinuous body, then you have lots of curves. Snakes use sinuous movements to travel. Live Oak trees have particularly sinuous branches. We usually use sinuous to talk about physical shapes of bodies or pathways, but you could also describe someone's logic as sinuous if it wanders all over the place when they're trying to explain something.
Vocabulary lists containing sinuous
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Giver
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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.
Sinuous, up in the sky between one mountainside and another, the most beautiful bridge I had ever seen was in Simplon Pass, on the Swiss side.
From The New Yorker • Jan. 6, 2020
Sinuous copper dragons that date to the Sung Dynasty guard a pebbled entry courtyard furnished with lush foliage and textural evergreens.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2019
Sinuous rabbits extend legs that sometimes look human in their paroxysms of flight.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 1, 2018
Sinuous torsos and crisp point work are threaded together more finely than in many a fusion effort, but the work’s broadly drawn themes don’t leave much room for layered interpretations.
From New York Times • Jun. 25, 2010
Sinuous as the waves, round as the sun, darkened with spots of gold; like the firmament, strewn with stars! like the twistings of the vine-tree and the windings of entrails!
From The Temptation of St. Antony or A Revelation of the Soul by Flaubert, Gustave
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.
