sinuous

adjective

sin·​u·​ous ˈsin-yə-wəs How to pronounce sinuous (audio)
-yü-əs
1
a
: of a serpentine or wavy form : winding
b
: marked by strong lithe movements
2
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."

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 But her gardens, with their sinuous terracing, painterly layers of color and texture and plantings that rise to meet — or, at times, recreate — the forest, demand to be seen. Michael Snyder Pedro Kok, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024 Its sculpted silhouette was made to resemble the sinuous lines of Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Milà and designed for a seamless fit on the wrist. Alexis Bennett Parker, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024 The roots of the tree display a sinuous orange serpent captured in glass, immortalizing the moment before Eve is tempted by the apple. Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 See also: Christina Aguilera at the 2024 Grammys in a pale-blue iteration of Pugh’s sinuous jersey dress, embellished with the same hip-slithering beads. Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2024 Penned by Alberto Mancini, the superyacht’s exterior is replete with the sleek and sinuous lines synonymous with Azimut’s Grande designs. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2023 Gone, however, is the sinuous, 16-foot-long Ingo Maurer red ribbon chandelier that once hung over the island. Mark David, Robb Report, 25 Jan. 2024 For anyone who has closely followed the sinuous cultural, legal, and scientific saga of LSD, the outlines of its story will not come as a revelation. Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024 But possibly the most dramatic object in the room is a sinuous tube of white light created by Petaloti and Trampoukis that snakes off a wall in the middle of the space. Jinnie Lee Kurt Soller Caitie Kelly Gisela Williams Roxanne Fequiere Elissa Suh, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sinuous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin sinuosus, from sinus

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of sinuous was in 1578

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Dictionary Entries Near sinuous

Cite this Entry

“Sinuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sinuous. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sinuous

adjective
sin·​u·​ous ˈsin-yə-wəs How to pronounce sinuous (audio)
: of a snakelike or wavy form : winding
sinuously adverb

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