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

Nora has been embattled in a tortuous legal struggle for her family home since the 1980s. — Vic Mensa, Time, "Vic Mensa: What Palestine Taught Me About American Racism," 12 Jan. 2018 Circuit Court Judge Paul Felix dismissed ITM’s lawsuit against Noblesville alleging defamation and slander, restraint of trade and tortuous interference when the city refused to renew terms of a lease agreement to stay at its longtime 10-acre home. — John Tuohy, Indianapolis Star, "Judge orders train museum out of Noblesville home by July 12," 29 June 2018 That could make the path to an eventual government tortuous. — Eric Sylvers, WSJ, "Italy Seeks New Government Across Deepening North-South Divide," 3 Apr. 2018 The search has plunged her into a thicket of tax sales and foreclosures, revealing a tortuous path of ownership that is not unusual for Baltimore’s thousands of vacant homes. — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, "With ownership in question, lawsuit stalls over deadly West Baltimore collapse," 12 July 2018 The foppish Johnson — an articulate campaigner — helped lead Brexit forces to victory in the June 2016 referendum that effectively ended Cameron’s career and set in motion more than two years of tortuous negotiations with the EU. — Gregory Katz, The Seattle Times, "Out as UK foreign secretary: One more twist in Boris saga," 9 July 2018 Image It’s hard to blame them, especially since the score’s tortuous path limited its exposure. — New York Times, "Wait, Leonard Bernstein Wrote a ‘Peter Pan’ Musical?," 26 June 2018 George’s timetable was particularly long and tortuous, perhaps more so than any pop artist of modern times. — John Norris, Billboard, "George Michael's 'Outside' and Its Celebration of Cottaging Is Still Bolder Than Most Pop Music 20 Years Later," 29 May 2018 After a year of tortuous negotiations on the U.K.’s exit from the European Union, many Britons have learned that Brexit isn’t just about Brexit. — Jenny Gross, WSJ, "Another Rock on the Road to Brexit: Gibraltar," 30 Mar. 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.