contorted 1 of 2

contorted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of contort
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contorted
Adjective
As the Emcee, an eerie, contorted figure who represents the slow blackening of the city’s soul, Muscato picks up from a prestigious line of talent that includes Eddie Redmayne, Billy Porter and Matt Willis. Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026 Barr has resolved the dilemma by writing a contorted endorsement of Blanche in The Wall Street Journal. Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026 The more contorted, the more supported. Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2026 The contorted, impossible plot isn’t the point, but its breakneck speed is. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 June 2026 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 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
Human figures are often seen in floating, dynamic, and contorted positions, potentially engaging in shamanic journeys or ritualistic collective dances. Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026 Years after Leontes, a king contorted by jealousy, has ordered that his wife, the blameless Hermione, be put to death, a curtain is drawn back to reveal what appears to be a statue of her. Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 The hosting procedure for the 2030 and 2034 tournaments was contorted to prevent Saudi Arabia from facing opposition. Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 31 July 2026 Football fandom is contorted by the internet now to put out beauty and vibe and wonder. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026 But then, at some point, the term got contorted to actually refer to people who were using sabotage or vandalism in defense of the environment. Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026 Starting with a tone-setting marvel early, Room contorted and unfurled himself to 15 saves — including several other stupefying ones. Kansas City Star, 21 June 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contorted
Adjective
  • The standard medical terms clinicians rely on may become distorted or polluted.
    Frank Naeymi-Rad, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • La Nueva Violencia is a smirking, libidinous play for the dance floor, picking up where the distorted guitars of the last record left off and channeling each new riff into sleazy post-punk and electroclash that stick to the body like sweaty velvet.
    Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Parts on Repkon machines deformed, leading a worker to discover that they were made with Chinese steel, possibly in violation of federal regulations.
    Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Many of the characters are deformed in some way, though Williams does not adopt the language of disability to describe their particular experiences.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
Adjective
  • There are a number of eating behaviors, some of which might be considered disordered eating behaviors, that people trying to become muscular often engage in.
    Ashleigh N. DeLuca, STAT, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Many of the characteristics that facilitate athletic success can also increase disordered eating symptoms.
    Erin Harrop, The Conversation, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Tara Rudd drove toward Angel City’s back line and threaded a pass through to Rodman, who raced downfield and curled a shot just over goalkeeper Angelina Anderson.
    Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Instead of lying flat, the hem curled and fell like waves around the body, creating a high-low effect.
    Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 16 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The Assad regime fell in 2024, but the bodies of Khalil’s two friends were never recovered; their families assumed that they had been tortured, killed, and buried in a mass grave.
    Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • One of Nader’s grandsons, Shah Rukh, was tortured by a greedy court eunuch named Agha Muhammad to force him to reveal the location of the invaluable diamond.
    Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Contorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contorted. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on contorted

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster