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 conspiracyb : circuitous, involved the tortuous jargon of legal forms
tortuously
adverbtortuousness
nounExplore M-W
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Examples of tortuous in a Sentence
a tortuous path up the mountain
a tortuous mountain road marked by numerous hairpin turns
Recent Examples of tortuous from the Web
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The two men began their meeting with a photo opportunity that featured the requisite tortuous handshake routine that, against all odds, didn't result in either man dislocating the other's shoulder on live television.
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At the end of this long, tortuous road stand the smoldering remains of the tower in North Kensington.
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The ultra-fit (and often bare-chested) Bermudez — a Moonlight veteran who continues to grow in vocal power and technique — easily navigates the tortuous score and never misses a note.
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The craft will reach its destination via a tortuous series of maneuvers, using the gravity of Venus to slow to a ‘
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While renting or buying a house in the center costs too much for many, others who crave a bigger place in the countryside must also pay a price -- a tortuous journey from neighboring Belgium, France and Germany.
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As the events of last year proved, impeaching a Brazilian president is a tortuous affair.
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Fixing the hillside would mean replacing bulkheads that have rotted away along a riverbank blasted by side thrusters of the big ore boats that cruise around the tortuous curve.
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Robinson's rap sheet shows a tortuous life of crime with 34 arrests and a dozen convictions — including four prior firearms convictions.
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.
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.
Origin and Etymology of tortuous
Middle English, from Middle French tortueux, from Latin tortuosus, from tortus twist, from torquēre to twist
TORTUOUS Defined for English Language Learners
tortuous
playDefinition of tortuous for English Language Learners
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: having many twists and turns
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: complicated, long, and confusing
TORTUOUS Defined for Kids
tortuous
playDefinition of tortuous for Students
: having many twists and turns a tortuous path
Medical Dictionary
Learn More about tortuous
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tortuous Spanish Central: Translation of tortuous Nglish: Translation of tortuous for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tortuous for Arabic speakers
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