as in deformation
the twisting of something out of its natural or normal shape or condition
the comedian is renowned for his seemingly endless variety of facial contortions
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of contortion
Wild performances kept the party going all night, with burlesque dancing from Violent Delights and Candace Cane, the latter of whom also did contortion.
—
Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
As the Supreme Court sets out to untangle State Farm’s latest legal contortions, the cases will continue to pile up.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoma Watch, 31 Mar. 2026
Perhaps Gartside chose music as his medium for working out his relentless questions because of its power to sidestep the analytical mind’s reflexive contortions and speak directly to the heart.
—Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 15 Feb. 2026
Recently, Boston Dynamics explained Atlas’s uncanny ground-recovery move, revealing why the humanoid rises with contortions rather than standing upright.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026
And this is not to shame the act of contortion.
—Caroline Rothstein, InStyle, 30 Dec. 2025
The bodies had signs of binding the hands and feet, contortion of limbs, cut off fingertips and disfigured heads, according to Kaki.
—ABC News, 31 Oct. 2025
The incidents highlight the contortions of the Taliban four years after seizing power of Afghanistan.
—NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
DiCaprio actually is quite funny early on in the film, but his performance loses steam in the back half, as his broad gestures and facial contortions can’t quite match the grim subtlety of Scorsese’s direction of the later scenes.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2025
Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
As the Supreme Court sets out to untangle State Farm’s latest legal contortions, the cases will continue to pile up.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoma Watch, 31 Mar. 2026
Perhaps Gartside chose music as his medium for working out his relentless questions because of its power to sidestep the analytical mind’s reflexive contortions and speak directly to the heart.
—Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 15 Feb. 2026
Recently, Boston Dynamics explained Atlas’s uncanny ground-recovery move, revealing why the humanoid rises with contortions rather than standing upright.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Feb. 2026
And this is not to shame the act of contortion.
—Caroline Rothstein, InStyle, 30 Dec. 2025
The bodies had signs of binding the hands and feet, contortion of limbs, cut off fingertips and disfigured heads, according to Kaki.
—ABC News, 31 Oct. 2025
The incidents highlight the contortions of the Taliban four years after seizing power of Afghanistan.
—NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
DiCaprio actually is quite funny early on in the film, but his performance loses steam in the back half, as his broad gestures and facial contortions can’t quite match the grim subtlety of Scorsese’s direction of the later scenes.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contortion
Noun
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Nanomade, a company specializing in ultra-sensitive deformation sensing technology, has announced a new product developed in collaboration with PolyIC that combines capacitive touch and ultra-sensitive force sensing into a fully transparent film.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Apr. 2026
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Additionally, the screen uses auto-smoothing flex glass, which is resistant to deformation and better able to recover its original shape.—
Eric Zeman,
PC Magazine,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The distortion uses religion as a tool to inflame hate and justify violence.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
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The zoom relies heavily on digital corrections to remove distortion and brighten its corners to match the center.—
Jim Fisher,
PC Magazine,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Fish embryos that grow in the presence of oil may be born with heart defects, as well as spine and skull deformities.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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Born with a club foot and a deformity to his right ear, Meyers — who also contracted polio as a child — found solace in music.—
Hector Saldana,
San Antonio Express-News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contortion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contortion. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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