twisted

American

[twis-tid] / ˈtwɪs tɪd /

adjective

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

It is a sad day when outright lies and twisted words triumph over truth.
mentally or emotionally distorted; warped.

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

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

the simple past tense and past participle of twist.

Other Word Forms

twistedly

adverb

Etymology

Origin of twisted

twist ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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.

“Oftentimes, what’s happening here is the framing of ‘give us broad, unfettered access to the data because we’re gonna give you benefits,’ but it actually gets twisted in practice,” Ngyuen said.

From Salon • May 18, 2026

"I was simply transported," he said ahead of his centenary, reliving how the adult female twisted his head and looked straight into his eyes and her two youngsters sat on him as the cameras rolled.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

What was once a densely populated, lively community is now a landscape of collapsed concrete, twisted metal and exposed wires.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

But a transformation worthy of one of Dahl’s twisted tales unfolds as the writer perversely makes a bad situation worse.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

It was always a mystery to me how my little sister could be so happy, and so full of life with an old twisted leg like that.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023