sinuous
adjective
Did you know?
Although it probably makes you think more of snakes than head colds, sinuous is etymologically more like sinus than serpent. Sinuous and sinus both derive from the Latin noun sinus, which means "curve, fold, or hollow." Other sinus descendants include insinuate ("to impart or suggest in an artful or indirect way") and two terms you might remember from math class: sine and cosine. In English, sinus is the oldest of these words; it entered the language in the 1400s. Insinuate appeared next, in the early 1500s, and was followed by sinuous and sine in the latter half of the 1500s, and cosine in the 1600s. Serpent, by the way, entered English in the 13th century and comes from the Latin verb serpere, meaning "to creep."
Examples of sinuous in a Sentence
Oliver Kay, New York Times, 2 May 2025
The luscious upper register of Harry Carney's baritone saxophone, the growling trumpet of Cootie Williams, and the sinuous lyricism of Johnny Hodges were all considered when composing music.
—Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
The actress wore a look courtesy of Alberta Ferretti, featuring an electrifying shade of teal blue and black outlining the sinuous curves of her dress’ flower petals.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 7 Apr. 2025
In the hotel’s 123 rooms, sensuous textures and sinuous lines reflect the modernized art deco decor.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sinuous
Cite this Entry
“Sinuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sinuous. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
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