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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Platinum-iridium alloys, with X-shapes to better resist distortions, replaced those originals.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Nov. 2025
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Drawn and composed in shifting degrees of blur, grain and focal distortion, the film traces how sight shapes emotional attachment.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
7 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 14 Nov. 2025.
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