Synonym Chooser

How does the verb distort contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of distort are contort, deform, and warp. While all these words mean "to mar or spoil by or as if by twisting," distort and contort both imply a wrenching from the natural or normal, but contort suggests a more involved twisting and a more grotesque and painful result.

the odd camera angle distorts the figure
disease had contorted her body

In what contexts can deform take the place of distort?

Although the words deform and distort have much in common, deform may imply a change of shape through stress, injury, or accident of growth.

a face deformed by hatred

When is it sensible to use warp instead of distort?

In some situations, the words warp and distort are roughly equivalent. However, warp indicates an uneven shrinking that bends or twists out of a flat plane.

warped floorboards

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of distort Using the most recent figures for 2023-24’s second-tier clubs and stripping out any loan write-offs that distort results, the division lost £8.5m — £709,000 per club — on average. Steve Madeley, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025 Skala says social media distorts students’ perception of the admissions process. Rachel Hale, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025 What’s reflected may still be distorted, but at least the mirror is now a little less foggy. Diana Spehar, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025 By distorting Judaism to minimize, or even erase, the Jewish connection to Israel, JVP seeks to undermine one of the most sacred tenets of our faith and identity. Chai Posner, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for distort
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distort
Verb
  • Despite following legal guidelines, the video was accused of misrepresenting events and using replicas instead of authentic artifacts.
    Real-Time news team, Miami Herald, 16 May 2025
  • After a three-year investigation, the committee found evidence that, among other widespread abuses, adoption agencies fabricated documents, misrepresented children as orphans available to be adopted, and sent children overseas without the consent of their biological families.
    Time, Time, 15 May 2025
Verb
  • Experts have yet to reach a firm consensus on how, and to what extent, institutional homebuyers deform the housing market by sucking up inventory.
    Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2025
  • Online, these ideas have become diluted and deformed, dumbed-down to images of tradwife blondes and futuristic triangle structures.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • With this, our bodies are being contorted in very strange ways.
    Mike Miller Published, EW.com, 8 May 2025
  • At one point its images of a man hitting the nitrous button in his muscle car contorts as though his whole body is being pushed through a syringe.
    Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • As the aphids feed on the new leaves and twigs, leaves curl and twigs twist in response to aphid feeding on the sap.
    Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 10 May 2025
  • The musician completed the look with bombshell platinum blonde hair, which was curled into light rings.
    Rachel Raposas, People.com, 6 May 2025
Verb
  • That’s a surefire way to bend the brim and otherwise misshape it.
    Talia Ergas, Travel + Leisure, 27 June 2023
  • The misshapen hemoglobin misshape the cells.
    Jason Mast, STAT, 19 Dec. 2022
Verb
  • The process began with Phoenix DVO Frame Lock to stabilize the image before addressing flicker and warping issues.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 May 2025
  • The Maltby chairs are water-resistant, hold up in all weather conditions, and won’t mold, mildew, or warp.
    Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 6 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Distort.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distort. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on distort

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