as in winding
marked by a long series of irregular curves
a tortuous mountain road marked by numerous hairpin turns
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Recent Examples of tortuous
Werfel concocted a more tortuous explanation for his wife’s grotesque behavior.
—
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
The obvious parallel in the Chinese case is Mao Zedong, who oversaw a tortuous hollowing out of China’s nascent political and administrative institutions.
—Jude Blanchette, Foreign Affairs, 16 Mar. 2022
Homer’s poem tells of the Greek hero King Odysseus and his tortuous, 10-year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2025
Advertisement The deal follows months of tortuous negotiations led by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, with the Qataris regularly expressing frustration and threatening to walk away at one point.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tortuous
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
The obvious parallel in the Chinese case is Mao Zedong, who oversaw a tortuous hollowing out of China’s nascent political and administrative institutions.
—Jude Blanchette, Foreign Affairs, 16 Mar. 2022
Homer’s poem tells of the Greek hero King Odysseus and his tortuous, 10-year journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2025
Advertisement The deal follows months of tortuous negotiations led by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, with the Qataris regularly expressing frustration and threatening to walk away at one point.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tortuous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tortuous
Adjective
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Sharing his battle At that point, Lowe faced a winding path of medical appointments, treatments and side effects.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2025
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Hello, goodbye: The long and winding road of music biopics has finally led us to four feature films about the Beatles, coming in April 2028 by way of Bond director Sam Mendes.—
Raven Smith,
Vogue,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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It’s made with an eyelet pattern and twisted knot for a trendy touch, and the mini length will let your legs breathe on hot days by the pool.—
Rylee Johnston,
Travel + Leisure,
1 May 2025
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But Bronte becomes just another pawn in Joe’s twisted game of love.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The journey to get here was serpentine and occasionally bewildering (remember, no 3-1 lead is safe against Denver, and every clean bill of health deserves public appreciation).—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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Perched on a serpentine road above Beverly Hills, 1665 Summitridge understands that impulse with auteur precision.—
Spencer Elliott,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tortuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tortuous. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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