First recorded in 1350–1400.
Comes via Middle English from the Latin word tortuōsus, which derives from the verb torquēre, “to twist, bend.”
Sign up for more Word of the Day!

\r\nEXAMPLES OF TORTUOUS\r\n

The tortuous road through the mountains made for a challenging but scenic drive.
The author's writing style was known for its elegant prose and tortuous plot twists.

\r\nIt's National Poetry Month, and we’ve created a challenge that really is for everyone. Submit now!","audio":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/T03/T0390200.mp3","definitions":[{"partofspeech":"adjective","data":"full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked."}],"examples":[],"imageUrl":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/tortuous_IG.png","accentColor":"#0063D7"}},"status":"succeeded"}},"meta":{"requestId":"N1EScLEpLqfA4yzmSWUMF","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"sunroom","entry":"sunroom"},{"slug":"sunscald","entry":"sunscald"},{"slug":"sunscreen","entry":"sunscreen"},{"slug":"sunseeker","entry":"sunseeker"},{"slug":"sunset","entry":"sunset"}],"after":[{"slug":"sunset-law","entry":"sunset law"},{"slug":"sunset-state","entry":"Sunset State"},{"slug":"sunsetting","entry":"sunsetting"},{"slug":"sunshade","entry":"sunshade"},{"slug":"sunshine","entry":"sunshine"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"sunset-clause"},"requestId":"p96FXSJDZxSitn-9so61d","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"sunset-clause"},"requestId":"t6GVSElEEgATNQwk1Z2FC","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"CollinsEntry","headword":{"displayForm":"sunset clause","slug":"sunset-clause"},"homonym":null,"note":null,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechGroups":[{"definitions":[{"crossReferencesConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"text\": \"\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"type\": \"defgrp\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"a provision of a law that it will automatically be terminated after a fixed period unless it is extended by law\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]","examples":[],"idiom":null,"ordinal":1,"sense":null,"subdefinitions":[]}],"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciations":[],"subEntry":[]}],"url":"sunset-clause"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"sunset-clause"},"requestId":"ImLfyw1sDSgJ5eurd0L1y","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"sunset-clause","displayForm":"sunset clause","canonicalSlug":"sunset-clause","content":[{"source":"collins","entries":[{"id":"adfd02ed8.6bfb.1014.b87b.c2803370a23a.1","type":"normal","entry":"sunset clause","entrySyllabified":null,"entryVariants":"sunset provision","homograph":null,"pronunciation":{"audio":null,"spell":null,"ipa":""},"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":"","definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"mainly US and Canadian","definition":"a provision of a law that it will automatically be terminated after a fixed period unless it is extended by law","postdefinitionContent":""}]}],"origin":"","supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"derivedForms":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":150924,"index-rank-01":["sunset clause"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":[],"index-rank-04":[],"index-rank-05":[],"index-rank-06":[],"index-rank-07":[],"index-rank-08":[],"index-rank-09":[],"index-rank-10":[],"index-rank-11":[],"index-rank-12":[],"index-rank-13":[],"index-rank-14":[],"index-rank-15":[],"tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"sunset-clause"},"requestId":"XfYmwVzrTn_-6GcseyyqR","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":[],"tuna":[],"lunaWithSlug":[],"tunaWithSlug":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"sunset-clause"},"requestId":"MGljJTcZKdYWm2G9zmXKs","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

sunset clause

noun

Word of the Day