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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in distorted
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contorted
Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
Andrew Cornelius, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
Some language just gets contorted in error.
—Louis J. Esterhazy, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2025
Even an otherwise neutral comment can be contorted into a sarcastic retort, an insult or a counterattack.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Yet part of the force of it is that Michôd has not contorted Christy Martin’s life into some false arc; what was going on beneath her triumph is portrayed with a desperate and idiosyncratic honesty.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
Adjective
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
Some language just gets contorted in error.
—Louis J. Esterhazy, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2025
Even an otherwise neutral comment can be contorted into a sarcastic retort, an insult or a counterattack.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Yet part of the force of it is that Michôd has not contorted Christy Martin’s life into some false arc; what was going on beneath her triumph is portrayed with a desperate and idiosyncratic honesty.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contorted
Verb
-
The macula, part of the retina needed for sharp vision, may become distorted, causing blurry sight.—
Liz Szabo,
Scientific American,
14 Oct. 2025
-
If your shrubs have distorted, yellowing, or curling leaves or their growth seems stunted, take a close look.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Marta worries gently about herself, in particular about her disordered eating and loss of appetite.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
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Of course, tubelessness won’t fix the young girl’s disordered eating or their infrastructure issues at home.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Both of the Yunxian skulls were deformed from millennia spent underground, but the second, known as Yunxian 2, was better preserved.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
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Some of her concerns exist because the pipeline sits in the open water of the Great Lakes and has been damaged multiple times by ship’s anchors, is subject to corrosion, and has been found to be bent and deformed by the extremely powerful currents in the Straits of Mackinac.—
Mike Shriberg,
The Conversation,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In London, Lawrence’s longer pieces curled away from her face, folding between the body of her blond hair.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
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And behind the closed door, after the party is over, I am curled in a ball trying to will myself into normalcy again.—
Via Harvest Books,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Donnelly, meanwhile, recalled on the witness stand how he was repeatedly drowned, tortured and raped by Gacy, per court documents.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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In Elordi’s hands, the creature is a sensitive soul tortured by his own existence.—
Lindsey Bahr,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contorted. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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