tortuous

adjective

tor·tu·ous | \ ˈtȯrch-wəs

, ˈtȯr-chə-\

Definition of tortuous

1 : marked by repeated twists, bends, or turns : winding a tortuous path

2a : marked by devious or indirect tactics : crooked, tricky a tortuous conspiracy

b : circuitous, involved the tortuous jargon of legal forms

Other Words from tortuous Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about tortuous

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Did You Know?

Be careful not to confuse tortuous with torturous. These two words are relatives-both ultimately come from the Latin verb torquere, which means "to twist," "to wind," or "to wrench"-but tortuous means "winding" or "crooked," whereas torturous means "painfully unpleasant." Something tortuous (such as a twisting mountain road) might also be torturous (if, for example, you have to ride up that road on a bicycle), but that doesn't make these words synonyms. The twists and turns that mark a tortuous thing can be literal ("a tortuous path" or "a tortuous river") or figurative ("a tortuous argument" or "a tortuous explanation"), but you should consider choosing a different descriptive term if no implication of winding or crookedness is present.

Examples of tortuous in a Sentence

a tortuous path up the mountain a tortuous mountain road marked by numerous hairpin turns

Recent Examples on the Web

In the years since Claudia Zvunca was killed, the case followed a tortuous trail through the courts, spawning more than a dozen lawsuits, more than 25 appeals and a series of questionable decisions by Cook County judges, the Tribune has reported. — Todd Lighty, chicagotribune.com, "Lawyer should lose license for misconduct in case of girl who watched mother run over by bus, panel says," 13 June 2019 Trade negotiations with Japan and the European Union are coming and tortuous head-butting on trade and tariffs is already underway with China. — Timothy L. O'brien, The Denver Post, "O’Brien: Donald Trump’s failures — like his abandoned tariffs on Mexico — make him even more dangerous," 10 June 2019 There's also something to be said for tortuous coworkers. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Season 4 of 'The Good Place' Sounds Like It Will Be the Most Righteous One Yet," 3 May 2019 Behold the Commerce Department’s new and tortuous process for reviewing exemptions to steel and aluminum tariffs. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Trump’s Political Tariff Bureaucracy," 6 Aug. 2018 With the lease deal dead, the Air Force put out a request for proposals for a new tanker, initially labeled KC-X. In the tortuous drama that followed, a joint venture between Northrop Grumman and EADS, the European parent of Airbus, won. — Jon Talton, The Seattle Times, "Boeing’s other problem: Much-needed Air Force tanker keeps hitting snafus," 12 Apr. 2019 After a tortuous courtship, Bertie, the future King George VI, gets his girl and a great love story ensues. — WSJ, "Five Best: Robert Hardman on the Making of the Modern Monarchy," 25 Jan. 2019 In fact, this tortuous trajectory necessitated gravity slingshots around Earth, Venus, Earth, and finally Earth again before moving toward the outer Solar System. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "A congressman’s loss clouds the future of two demanding missions to Europa," 3 Dec. 2018 Potomac Watch Podcast Potomac Watch Podcast Gerrymander cases are typically tortuous, and North Carolina’s is no exception. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "North Carolina’s Gerrymander Coup," 30 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tortuous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.