as in distorted
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as in deformed
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition
the acrobat is able to contort his body so that it almost looks like a pretzel
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Recent Examples of contorted
Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The more contorted, the more supported.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 26 Apr. 2026
Last week, Boston Dynamics explained Atlas’s ground recovery, revealing why the humanoid rises with contorted movements rather than standing like a human.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025
Then there are a couple of realistic sculptures by Swedish artist Anna Uddenberg that feature a woman seated on a basic office chair in contorted positions that seem to emphasize her feminine parts.
—Jane Wooldridge, Miami Herald, 3 Dec. 2025
Three-inch gashes had been ripped from both corners of her mouth nearly to the ears, forming a contorted, twisted smile.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
Jason Jones, New York Times, 15 May 2026
In these photographs, Export contorted her body in various ways, creating striking images of her body defying the expected.
—Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 14 May 2026
Aether enthusiasts contorted themselves in knots attempting to explain this null result while still saving the notion of the aether itself.
—Big Think, 7 May 2026
Egon Schiele’s show at the Neue Galerie suggests that the artist’s raw, contorted depictions of the body were influenced by a formative relationship with a doctor.
—Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2026
For the entire 15-minute show, they’ve been contorted into pieces of furniture Lawson fabricated, pieces befitting something between an asylum and BDSM dungeon, and reminiscent of Allen Jones’s 1960s Pop sculpture series, which depicts fiberglass women in fetishware as home objects.
—Anna Peele, Vanity Fair, 6 Feb. 2026
In 2025, there was the Owl Arm Trend, in which Gen Z TikTokers contorted their bodies (and stretched their T-shirts) to mimic the shape of a perching owl, clinging to their friend’s arm.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Their necks contorted slightly and smiles spread across their faces as the high-definition videos started and their journeys commenced.
—Haven Daley, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Mikomi sees images generated by Grok of her wearing specific fetish outfits, or her body contorted or placed in strange contexts.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
The 39-year-old artist was finally gaining recognition abroad for his contorted, geometric sculptures made of thousands of hand-cut mirror shards reaching as high as 27 feet.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The more contorted, the more supported.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 26 Apr. 2026
Last week, Boston Dynamics explained Atlas’s ground recovery, revealing why the humanoid rises with contorted movements rather than standing like a human.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025
Then there are a couple of realistic sculptures by Swedish artist Anna Uddenberg that feature a woman seated on a basic office chair in contorted positions that seem to emphasize her feminine parts.
—Jane Wooldridge, Miami Herald, 3 Dec. 2025
Three-inch gashes had been ripped from both corners of her mouth nearly to the ears, forming a contorted, twisted smile.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Search the internet and there are coaches and players spotted sniffing the ammonia inhalants before a game, with their instant reactions — a noticeable head jerk or contorted face — going viral.
—Jason Jones, New York Times, 15 May 2026
In these photographs, Export contorted her body in various ways, creating striking images of her body defying the expected.
—Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 14 May 2026
Aether enthusiasts contorted themselves in knots attempting to explain this null result while still saving the notion of the aether itself.
—Big Think, 7 May 2026
Egon Schiele’s show at the Neue Galerie suggests that the artist’s raw, contorted depictions of the body were influenced by a formative relationship with a doctor.
—Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2026
For the entire 15-minute show, they’ve been contorted into pieces of furniture Lawson fabricated, pieces befitting something between an asylum and BDSM dungeon, and reminiscent of Allen Jones’s 1960s Pop sculpture series, which depicts fiberglass women in fetishware as home objects.
—Anna Peele, Vanity Fair, 6 Feb. 2026
In 2025, there was the Owl Arm Trend, in which Gen Z TikTokers contorted their bodies (and stretched their T-shirts) to mimic the shape of a perching owl, clinging to their friend’s arm.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Their necks contorted slightly and smiles spread across their faces as the high-definition videos started and their journeys commenced.
—Haven Daley, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Mikomi sees images generated by Grok of her wearing specific fetish outfits, or her body contorted or placed in strange contexts.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contorted
Adjective
-
Pointing out distorted thinking and driving cognitive reframing.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
These aphids reproduce rapidly and can quickly get out of control and overtake a rose bush, resulting in distorted growth.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Bathed in sunlight, deformed by the wide angle shot, there was our living room.—
Francesco Pacifico,
The Dial,
12 May 2026
-
Weakened by a brief-but-corrosive bath of sulfuric acid droplets during its plunge, the probe would’ve inevitably deformed and ruptured upon reaching the ground.—
Emma Gometz,
Scientific American,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
Though this is a haunted house novel, Miranda really becomes the ghost of the story, forgetting her birth year and sliding into disordered eating.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
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Microblogging and social networking platforms like Tumblr and MySpace became hotbeds for advice on disordered eating.—
Jordyn Tovey,
The Conversation,
22 May 2026
Verb
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But the home side’s chanting and cheering were quickly muted in the 50th minute when Sarasota midfielder Chandler O’Dwyer curled a shot from 20 yards out into the top right corner of Boise’s net.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
28 May 2026
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Gifford's favorite variety is seashell cosmos, which has fluted petals that look hand-curled.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
You’d get tortured or killed for just expressing yourself.—
Althea Legaspi,
Rolling Stone,
27 May 2026
-
Tursun, 36, told us that her newborn son — one of triplets — had been killed by the Chinese Communist Party and that she was tortured in internment camps.—
Michael Arkush,
Twin Cities,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contorted. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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