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
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
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 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
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
-
The strange fruits of Koosha’s process premiered Wednesday night at the Tribeca Festival in New York — a work that was just another indie film on one hand but also a glimpse at the distorted mirror of film’s future on the other.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
-
Sensitive plants may show leaf curling, distorted growth, discoloration, or even die from exposure to very small amounts of herbicide.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
On the other hand, if the gold structure is a square pattern, oxygen molecules readily stick to the surface and are deformed to the point of splitting, leaving them available to react (indeed, under these conditions, gold will oxidize as well).—
Chris Lee,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
-
The impact with Bell's Camry severely deformed the SAFER barrier, which is comprised of steel and foam to absorb energy in wrecks.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
The experts say doctors need to aggressively screen for this—and disordered behavior that may not rise to a formal diagnosis—before, during and after treatment.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
4 June 2026
-
Days after the season 4 premiere, Taylor addressed her history of disordered eating in a candid Instagram post.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Then, in the final seconds of stoppage time, Gio Reyna, who’d come on as a substitute, curled a gorgeous shot off the outside of his boot into the goal.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
13 June 2026
-
Nicks on the edge or stiffened, curled rubber will leave streaks.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
During similar unrest last year, several officers were abducted and tortured after being taken captive.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
-
Armand tortured and planned to drain Daniel, but Louis stepped in to save him.—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contorted. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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