as in deformations
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
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Recent Examples of contortions
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
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 contortions
Noun
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Using floppy modes—motions requiring almost no resistance—can guide predictable deformations, allowing materials to perform computations efficiently.—
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 blurriness in Webb's API images was traced to electronic distortions arising on Webb's infrared camera detector.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
5 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
“Contortions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contortions. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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