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

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 The award follows 18 months of an at times tortuous to-and-fro between the aerospace giant and President Donald Trump, who had threatened to cancel the planned sale over concerns about the cost of replacing the aging 747 jumbo jets. — Doug Cameron, WSJ, "U.S., Boeing Complete $3.9 Billion Air Force One Deal," 17 July 2018 PowerPoint made simple things complicated by turning even the most basic subject into a byzantine series of lists, that then generated other equally tortuous lists, which then gave birth to still other heart-rending, soul-destroying lists. — Joe Queenan, WSJ, "My Short List of Things That Need to Be ‘De-Invented’," 9 Nov. 2018 After decades of tortuous and fruitless negotiations between Athens and Skopje, Macedonia's prime minister agreed to the change to North Macedonia. — Konstantin Testorides, Fox News, "Macedonia or North Macedonia? Vote tests a nation's identity," 28 Sep. 2018 But his tortuous route actually did link the two sides of the world, and geographers now credit Mackenzie and his maps with making breakthroughs in our knowledge of the subarctic. — Rinker Buck, WSJ, "Venturing Into the Great Northwest," 9 Mar. 2018 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

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.