distorted

1 of 2

adjective

dis·​tort·​ed di-ˈstȯr-təd 

: altered from a true, natural, or normal state, shape, or condition

a distorted image

a distorted view/understanding of the situation

a distorted account of what happened

The public is, I believe, dimly aware of this aspect of ethnography, perhaps in romantically distorted ways, but aware nonetheless.

—Roy A. Rappaport

What happens is that you realize people in other countries tend to reach distorted conclusions about the U.S., and you feel obligated to provide what you believe is a full and balanced appraisal.

—Norman Cousins

distorted

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of distort

Synonyms of distorted

Adjective

• monstrous
• deformed
• misshapen
• malformed
• mutant

Examples of distorted in a Sentence

Adjective

surgery to correct a distorted foot

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The shoegaze sound keeps evolving, as young artists keep hearing themselves in those mega-distorted waves of guitar fuzz. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026

Hanlen acknowledged the political attention Cunningham has attracted and suggested the public often receives a distorted impression of her. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026

But California alt-metal trio Primus exists almost entirely in opposition to good taste, with Les Claypool singing morbidly odd story-songs about colorful characters in a nasal wheeze while his bass belches out gnarly, distorted riffs. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026

Hickey is the charismatic traveling salesman who preaches a distorted vision of salvation to the social misfits and leftist radicals in a dive bar in lower Manhattan, modeled on the denizens of a favorite O’Neill hangout. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1579, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for distorted

• aborted
• assorted
• comported
• consorted
• contorted
• deported
• escorted
• exhorted
• exported
• extorted
• imported
• purported