sinuous

adjective

sin·​u·​ous ˈsin-yə-wəs 

-yü-əs

1

a

: of a serpentine or wavy form : winding

b

: marked by strong lithe movements

2

: intricate, complex

sinuously adverb

sinuousness noun

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."

Synonyms of sinuous

• curved
• winding
• curving
• serpentine
• twisted
• twisting

Examples of sinuous in a Sentence

She moved with sinuous grace.

the river flowed in a sinuous path through the lush valley

Recent Examples on the Web

For decades, the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble—hailing from its own dance village, outside of Bengaluru—has been New York’s favorite provider of Odissi, a form of sinuous shapes and vivid storytelling. — Jane Bua, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026

Made from supple napa leather, the Azie sandals are both a timeless and modern design, defined by their square toes and the slender, sinuous straps that wrap over the foot and around the ankle. — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026

The lasting sign of our passage was a suggestion of movement, a sinuous shape of memory in the grass, like the game trail of some new, mechanical beast burst out of evolutionary time. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Housed inside a sinuous white design by MAD Architects and Stantec, the Lucas Museum looks like a spaceship hovering above South Los Angeles’ Exposition Park. — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin sinuosus, from sinus

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

sinuous

adjective

sin·​u·​ous ˈsin-yə-wəs 

: of a snakelike or wavy form : winding

sinuously adverb