Dictionary.com

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.

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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

words often confused with tortuous

See torturous.

OTHER WORDS FROM tortuous

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tortuous

tortuous , torturous (see usage note at torturous)

Words nearby tortuous

Tortola, tortoni, tortricid, Tortuga, tortuosity, tortuous, torture, torture porn, torturous, torula, torulopsosis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to tortuous

meandering, winding, convoluted, labyrinthine, circuitous, indirect, serpentine, twisting, tricky, bent, crooked, curved, roundabout, sinuous, snaky, zigzag, anfractuous, flexuous, involute, meandrous

Example sentences from the Web for tortuous

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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.