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
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
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
And children’s faces are contorted with terror.
—Leonard Pitts Jr, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
Vonn walked with a limp, which contorted her body in a way that put stress on other areas, like her hips and ribs.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
One oral tradition about Lake Nyos describes how people long ago attempted to cross the dry lake bed between the high, contorted rock formations of the maar’s volcanic rim.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Rogalski contorted his body and got a foot down in bounds to secure the interception at Mahtomedi’s 42 yard line.
—Andrew Cornelius, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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
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
And children’s faces are contorted with terror.
—Leonard Pitts Jr, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
Vonn walked with a limp, which contorted her body in a way that put stress on other areas, like her hips and ribs.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
One oral tradition about Lake Nyos describes how people long ago attempted to cross the dry lake bed between the high, contorted rock formations of the maar’s volcanic rim.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Rogalski contorted his body and got a foot down in bounds to secure the interception at Mahtomedi’s 42 yard line.
—Andrew Cornelius, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contorted
Adjective
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But the sins against contestants—and society writ large, for that matter—extend beyond distorted conversations about beauty.—
Hunter Lacey,
Allure,
16 Feb. 2026
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Insects like aphids, mealybugs, scale insects, fungus gnats, and more can affect your plant's health, leading to stunted, distorted growth, root damage, premature leaf drop, and even plant death.—
Molly Burford,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hadi tells an engaging story, brings complex and surprising characters to life, lends a locale an aesthetic iconography, and renders personal identity inextricable from the forces of history that shaped or deformed it.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
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American bases built inside the ice sheet, such as Camp Century, were quickly crushed as the encasing snow deformed.—
Paul Bierman,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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For perspective, the help-seeking rate for those with disordered eating or eating disorders in the general population is between 32% and 40%.—
Emily Hemendinger,
The Conversation,
13 Feb. 2026
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Valieva’s coach, Eteri Tutberidze, is one of the most prominent figures in a coaching culture that has long been criticized for prioritizing thinness, disordered eating, and early peak performance over athletes’ well-being.—
Jasmine Wynn,
Time,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even better, the super-soft insert guarantees all-day comfort, and the flexible shape can mold to your feet or be curled in a ball and easily packed into a carry-on.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Feb. 2026
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In one scene, Cathy asks her longtime maid, Nelly, to pull her corset tighter as a sort of self-punishment, and as her skin curled grotesquely beneath the corset strings onscreen, an older couple stood up and left the theater.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Villagrán conducted research on Chilean Air Force officers and non-commissioned officers who were tortured by their own comrades for refusing to participate in the coup.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
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Her husband says she has been tortured after her arrest.—
Somayeh Malekian,
ABC News,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contorted. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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