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
-
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
-
First, New Englanders have a distorted view and expectation for what spring truly is.—
Terry Eliasen,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Jamil, who has spoken about past struggles with disordered eating, is calling out the troubling trend of thinness in Hollywood.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
Is the best part of dying for a person with disordered eating the ability to have the second croissant?—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Tied with Charley Hull, Gaby Lopez and In Gee Chun at seven under, Korda drained a birdie on 17 to take the lead before her par putt of 18 curled into the hole.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
Korda’s final putt of the day curled in the right side of the cup to solidify her second consecutive round of 67 at Riviera after beginning the championship with a frustrating 2-over 73.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Armand tortured and planned to drain Daniel, but Louis stepped in to save him.—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 June 2026
-
The story of Alabama's congressional map is long and tortured.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contorted. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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