twisted

[twis-tid]

adjective

1. interwoven or combined by winding together, as strands or threads; formed in this way.

   It was Roebling who invented the twisted wire cable used in bridge supports.

2. altered in shape by turning the ends in opposite directions, forming a spiral.

   To remove an object from inside the lower eyelid, wet the end of a twisted piece of tissue and touch it to the object.

3. turned sharply or wrenched out of place; injured in this way.

   I hadn't touched a skateboard in almost a year because of a twisted ankle.

4. (of a person’s features) distorted or contorted by tensing or contracting the facial muscles.

   He made a twisted face as he bent down to look at the disgusting mess.

5. (of words) having the meaning distorted or perverted.

   It is a sad day when outright lies and twisted words triumph over truth.

6. mentally or emotionally distorted; warped.

   It's perverse logic, but it explains how someone with a twisted mind can have a clear conscience.

7. tortuously bent out of shape.

   The twisted steel wreckage of the sunken ship can be seen in this sonar image.

8. taking a winding, curving, or bending course.

   Twisted vines curl, bend, and overlap while growing side by side.

   It's by a long and twisted path that I've been led to this moment.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of twist.

Other Word Forms

• twistedly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of twisted¹

twist ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

No, this isn’t a twisted take on “Red, White and Royal Blue.”

Read more on Salon

Cushioned between the more experimental songs, however, were the real crowd-pleasers: An elegiac version of Lucky, a beautifully twisted No Surprises and a genuinely sublime version of Weird Fishes/Arpeggi.

Read more on BBC

Back in my kitchen, my eyes fixated on the birch, its yellow-brown leaves clinging to its large, twisted frame.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Really, I think, the vastness of today and what we are looking at as far as the future for all of us is just so twisted in turmoil.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

As he ran with a full box, he fell on the uneven ground and twisted his ankle.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• coiled www.thesaurus.com
• complicated 
• contorted 
• convoluted 
• crooked 
• curled www.thesaurus.com
• gnarled 
• intricate 
• tangled 
• tortuous 
• wry