tortuous

[ tawr-choo-uhs ]

/ ˈtɔr tʃu əs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR tortuous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked: a tortuous path.

not direct or straightforward, as in procedure or speech; intricate; circuitous: tortuous negotiations lasting for months.

deceitfully indirect or morally crooked, as proceedings, methods, or policy; devious.

QUIZZES

Discover The Influence Of Portuguese On English Via This Quiz!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby tortuous

tortola, tortoni, tortricid, tortuga, tortuosity, tortuous, torture, torture porn, torturous, torula, torulopsosis

Origin of tortuous

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin tortuōsus, equivalent to tortu(s) a twisting (tor(quēre) to twist, bend + -tus suffix of v. action) + -ōsus -ous

SYNONYMS FOR tortuous

1 bent, sinuous, serpentine.

2 evasive, roundabout, indirect.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR tortuous ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM tortuous

tor·tu·ous·ly, adverbtor·tu·ous·ness, nounnon·tor·tu·ous, adjectivenon·tor·tu·ous·ly, adverb

un·tor·tu·ous, adjectiveun·tor·tu·ous·ly, adverbun·tor·tu·ous·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tortuous

tortuous torturous (see usage note at torturous)

usage note for tortuous

See torturous.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for tortuous

All of the various things I do I love doing, and occasionally I find them tortuous.
Bob Balaban: How I Write|Noah Charney|February 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2011, after tortuous negotiations, a deal was struck for $1.2 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years.
Markets Approve of the Way U.S. Political System Handles Debt Problems|Robert Shapiro|January 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
So why take the tortuous and offensive back-door route to appreciating Wharton?
Why Jonathan Franzen Can’t Appreciate Edith Wharton|Marina Budhos|March 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Quetta Shura official says the negotiations with the French were tortuous.
How the Taliban’s Hostages Were Freed|Sami Yousafzai, Ron Moreau|July 1, 2011|DAILY BEAST

The road was tortuous, and at every turn the scene became more picturesque.
The Bible in Spain|George Borrow
The distance would probably be greater by the tortuous bayous through which this new route would carry us.
Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Complete|Ulysses S. Grant
Everywhere, dim and tortuous corridors led to cells like the one he had just left.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, December 1930|Various
We soon found that it was to be a long and tortuous business, calling for all the patience that we had at command.
Savage Island|Basil C. Thomson
At the command, each vessel began to pursue a tortuous spiral path.
Spacehounds of IPC|Edward Elmer Smith

British Dictionary definitions for tortuous

tortuous

/ (ˈtɔːtjʊəs) /

adjective

twisted or windinga tortuous road

devious or cunninga tortuous mind

intricate

Derived forms of tortuous

tortuously, adverbtortuousness, noun

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

Medical definitions for tortuous

tortuous

[ tôr′chōō-əs ]

adj.

Having many turns; winding or twisting.

tortuous

adjective

QUIZZES

Words related to tortuous

Words nearby tortuous

Origin of tortuous

SYNONYMS FOR tortuous

OTHER WORDS FROM tortuous

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tortuous

usage note for tortuous

Example sentences from the Web for tortuous

British Dictionary definitions for tortuous

adjective

Derived forms of tortuous

Medical definitions for tortuous

adj.