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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contortion
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 oil made her body slippery, allowing rescuers to pull her out of the passageway by working in reverse and undoing all the contortions that trapped her.
—Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 25 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
ABC News, 31 Oct. 2025
The oil made her body slippery, allowing rescuers to pull her out of the passageway by working in reverse and undoing all the contortions that trapped her.
—Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 25 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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By carefully designing repeating units, researchers can control these deformations to perform different calculations and even reprogram the material after it has been made.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
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Asurvey of three species of octopuses from Europe and the Americas catalogued a total of 6,781 arm deformations.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The team traced this distortion to optostriction, where the electromagnetic field of light exerts a small but measurable mechanical force on the atoms.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
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The catch is, the capital that goes into these funds often has to be spent right away, and that may be creating distortions in the markets.—
Leslie Picker,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The disease can also cause foot deformities that worsen over time.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
24 Oct. 2025
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From a practical standpoint, however, pointy-toed shoes can lead to foot deformities and health problems.—
Michael Watson,
The Conversation,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contortion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contortion. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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